| BNSF B40-8W 581 was parked in the siding at Alvord, Texas (on the former Fort Worth & Denver) while LMX B39-8 8595 was passing on a westbound Z-train. Five days earlier, the 581 was the lead unit on train H-ALTBAR1-03 (Alliance, TX to Barstow, CA) when it ran into the rear of empty coal train E-SLPCAM3-11 here. The accident was caused by an obstruction in the brake line on H-ALTBAR, which had slowed to 20 mph, before the collision. Both crew members jumped prior to impact and received only minor injuries. The 581 was the Santa Fe’s second-to-last B40-8W, having been built in March 1992. It was subsequently repaired, retired in 2010 and sold to the Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad. LMX 8595 was sold to Relco (RLCX) in June 2001 and was later NREX 8595. |