Investigation of a Columbus, Ohio train derailment caused by fractured rail

• On July 11, 2012 a Norfolk Southern train derailed 17 cars in Columbus, OH.
• On-scene, 35 fractured rail pieces were found; 25 had transverse detail fractures.
• Fracture faces exhibited fatigue from heavy surface wear and deformation.
• The measured head wear of track would require replacement.
• NTSB determined probable cause was broken rail from rolling contact fatigue.

On July 11, 2012 an eastbound Norfolk Southern train derailed 17 cars within the city limits of Columbus, OH. Three of the cars that derailed were carrying over 86,000 gallons of denatured ethanol. Once breached, the ethanol in the tank cars ignited, fueling a large fire. The derailment led to the evacuation of over 100 people and cost over $1.2 million. This paper will detail the on-scene response and failure analysis performed by the NTSB Materials Laboratory, focusing on the recovered rail that contained 25 transverse detail fractures.