An Amtrak official on Monday blamed human error for a derailment Sunday at the Auto Train terminal.
The worker, a yard engineer, "is out of service pending an investigation," said Tommy Farr, superintendent of terminal services in Sanford. He would not identify the employee.
Workers had parked nine train cars at the terminal and were in the process of moving the remaining five cars onto a second section of track when the engine and a dining car went off the rail.
Although 230 passengers were on the train when it arrived in Sanford, 80 to 90 were still onboard when the derailment occurred, Farr said. They were all in two of the five cars.
Workers had parked nine train cars at the terminal and were in the process of moving the remaining five cars onto a second section of track when the engine and a dining car went off the rail.
After the nine cars were uncoupled, the yard engineer began pulling forward the other five cars. The engineer did not notice that the switch for redirecting the cars was improperly aligned and broke it when the engine passed through. Other workers also did not see the problem because the train had stopped over the switch, Farr said.
When the train started backing up, one set of the dining car's wheels went along one set of tracks and other set of wheels went onto another set, causing that car and the engine to leave the tracks. The cars holding the passengers did not derail.
Farr said a crane to move the train cars had to be brought in from Jacksonville because proper equipment was not available in the area. Once the crane arrived, it took about 90 minutes to put the car and engine back on the tracks and repair the switch.
Railroad workers said derailments in freight yards are fairly common, however, Farr said derailments at the Sanford Auto Train yard are rare.
