Engineers onboard doomed Ohio toxic train tried to stop it as wheel bearing overheated

Engineers onboard the doomed Ohio toxic train desperately tried to bring it to a halt after receiving alerts that a wheel bearing was 254 degrees above normal temperatures. 

The crew attempted to slow the train as it barreled towards East Palestine, Ohio, but their efforts failed to avert the crisis before it derailed in a fiery crash on February 3. 

A preliminary report released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that an engineer eventually attempted to apply the breaks to the runaway train, but it was too late as several cars had already fallen off the tracks. 

Investigators found that three alerts had sounded warnings that a wheel bearing was significantly overheated, reaching a critical heat threshold shortly before the train derailed in a fiery crash. 

The bombshell report was released as embattled Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg finally visited the site, nearly three weeks after it caused severe devastation to the small Ohio town.  

The toxic train derailed in a fiery crash on February 3 in East Palestine, Ohio 

Buttigieg is set to hear from investigators as to how the train derailment caused such significant damage to the area. 

He is also expected to visit East Palestine residents, who were forced to evacuate after hazardous chemicals including vinyl chloride were ignited during a controlled burn of the derailed toxic train cars. 

The NTSB report did not provide an official reason for the derailment, but it did offer several key details that reveal what happened in the lead up to the crisis. 

Among the new details are that the train was only travelling at 47mph as it derailed, which was below the 50mph speed limit. 

The report said the internal alarm for the train was triggered three times prior to the derailment, with the first cautioning that the axle was 38 degrees above average temperature. 

According to recordings taken by a bearing heat detector, the second alert sounded after the axle reached 103 degrees above ambient temperature. 

By the third alert, the wheel bearing had overheated by over 250 degrees, far above the ‘critical’ 200 degree threshold that demands the train must stop.  

After the train came to a stop as the brakes were set, engineers onboard reported a large fire and smoke to emergency dispatchers. 

They were instructed to apply the handbrake to the two rail cars at the front of the train, then couple the leading carriages and move them a mile from the rest of the derailed train. 

The NTSB report said: ‘Investigators identified and examined the first railcar to derail, the 23rd railcar in the consist. 

‘Surveillance video from a local residence showed what appeared to be a wheel bearing in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment.’

About 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed in the small Ohio town

The train derailment on February 3 set off a fire that could be seen from miles away

As toxic waste leaked from several of the cars, Norfolk Southern, the rail company, decided to ignite the hazardous material in a slow burn to prevent the leakage from continuing in the surrounding area. 

Nearby houses were quickly evacuated as the situation worsened, while the flammable, highly toxic chemical fire created a large plume of smoke that could be seen for miles. 

Despite residents being told it was safe for them to return home following their evacuation, many locals have since complained of severe side effects, including persistent coughs and burning eyes.

Thousands of dead fish were also spotted in waterways around the scene after the incident, and residents have complained that local animals are dying off in the surrounding areas.

The destructive incident was one of a number of train derailments to hit the US heartland in recent weeks. 

The recent visit by Buttigieg underscored a wave of criticisms over the federal government’s handling of the toxic situation. 

His eventual arrival was overshadowed by a visit from former-President Donald Trump, who told the residents of East Palestine that they had been ‘betrayed’ by President Biden’s administration. 

The former president greeted large crowds as he brought thousands of bottles of his own water, cleaning supplies and canned food. 

He also found time to make a trip to a local McDonald’s, where he ordered Big Macs for first responders and members of his team, and handed out signed MAGA hats to the customers.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that he will finally visit the site of the train derailment that released hazardous material into East Palestine, Ohio earlier this month

Buttigieg suggested that former President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to Ohio on Wednesday is just a photo-op

As Trump entered the fray in the devastated Ohio town, he was greeted by hundreds of people who lined the streets waving MAGA flags and chanting ‘no more Joe’. 

Buttigieg has criticized the visit as a ‘photo op’ for Trump’s 2024 campaign. 

In a speech in a fire department, Trump praised the response from law enforcement and the ‘strength and courage’ of the residents, and said: ‘You are not forgotten’.

He promised to return if the community didn’t get help from the White House and when a reporter asked what message he had for Biden, Trump said: ‘Get over here’.

His visit coincided with Norfolk Southern releasing a statement saying they would take ‘full responsibility’ for the derailment.