Railroad Accident Report

On January 12, 1997, the Union Pacific Railroad unit freight train 6205 west derailedon the Union Pacific Los Angeles Subdivision, milepost 238.7, near Kelso, California. Whiledescending Cima Hill, the engineer inadvertently activated the multiple-unit engine shutdownswitch, which shut down all the locomotive units' diesel engines and eliminated the units'dynamic braking capabilities. The train rapidly became a runaway, eventually reaching a speed of72 mph, and derailed 68 of its 75 cars while exiting a siding near Kelso. No fatalities or injuriesresulted.