It was a cloudy day in Missouri and a BESF unit was preparing for departure. Once the conductor checked all the couplers he climbed up on 4231. “Ready girl?” He asked as he set her throttle up to 8. 

“Ready as I’ll ever be!” She replied as her engine growled. She quickly got up to speed but she didn’t stop. It took her only 5 minutes to get up to 55 mph. “Get ‘em girl!” The conductor cheered on. 4231 growled on with courage and pride. She blew her horn loudly and proudly as she met crossings and other locomotives. 

She later met a 4-way. She and her conductor saw the signal was green so they blew through without a second thought. But little did they know the signal had malfunctioned. It’s supposed to be red but it didn’t change. A United Pacific train was coming through about to meet the 4-way 4231 had already crossed. 

The United Pacific train slammed on its brakes but they weren’t strong enough for a 35 mph locomotive and then…BOOM! The United Pacific had hit the 12th truck 4231 was hauling and derailed 13 other trucks. By then both trains had stopped. They didn’t have a choice though. 

Both United Pacific locomotives were derailed in the accident. The conductor and the secondman were lucky to have bailed out in time. 4231’s Conductor and secondman had climbed out of her and went to see if everyone was ok. “Yeah…We’re ok.” 4231 told the two BESF. “We’re not…” The derailed locomotives said. “Oh right.” All 4 said together. 

Later the derailed cars and locomotives were back on the rails and the signals were inspected and fixed. 4231 took her undamaged trucks to their destination and came back for the ones that also weren’t derailed. Once 4231’s job was finished she came back and took Union Pacific’s load. The 2 UnPa units were taken to be repaired and were back on the rails a couple days later.

Based on the actual incident

7511 was getting ready for his freight service of the day. The freight was loaded and coupled together. 7511 then rolled back to couple up to his freight. *SLAM* 7511 was in. His driver went out to assemble the brake pipes then got back in 7511 but little did they both know he backed in way too hard and 2 box cars had jumped the tracks. 

When 7511 had got to moving he felt slight juddering but paid no attention. Along the way as he got up to speed the juddering intensified. He thought his suspension was getting old but then remembered they were just replaced yesterday. 

7511 then came to a red signal and he slammed his brakes on and the 2 jumped box cars slammed into the freight in front of it and jumped 5 more cars and jumped 7 more behind it! By then 14 box cars had jumped the tracks and 7511 had noticed too. 

He felt a heavy jerk when he stopped. “Oh boy. That doesn’t sound good.” 7511 said sadly. “It sure doesn’t. That’s 14 jumped box cars!” 1881 said rolling up beside him. “Be careful when coupling next time.” 796 followed. 7511 felt embarrassed. 

7511 stayed in the same spot for hours with his brakes on waiting for someone to come by and put his freight back on the tracks. 796 and 1881 came back with a rail crane and put the jumped box cars back on the track. The signal went green and 7511 continued his journey sadly.

Not an actual incident

It was snowing hard. Freight was delayed and passenger was slow. They had major wheel slip problems and snow made it hard to see. 3251 was one of the unlucky ones though. She coupled up to her freight and got ready for departure. Her wheels slipped but eventually got moving. 

Things were going good for 3251. Or at least that’s what she thought. The snow was so thick she couldn’t see that the signal was red and neither did her driver. The dispatcher was then alerted of the SPAD and set all nearby signals to red. As she continued she wondered why various trains were stopped. 

Passengers, and freight were halted. She then got the impression that she had Passed A Signal At Danger. She tried to stop but her wheels slipped as her brakes only stopped her wheels. She kept rolling on without control and slowly sped up! Her driver contacted the dispatcher of faulty brakes. Then 3251 shut her eyes as tight as she could, preparing for impact because she knew she'd come in contact with another train. 

Then *BOOM!* 3251 collided head on with an Amtreck passenger train. Passengers were alerted of a train with faulty brakes minutes ago so everyone was lucky to have survived. The collision was terrible. Freight went flying everywhere, glass was shattered and shard remains were scattered all over the floor, and the coaches were crumbled like a soda can. Nothing derailed, it was only a horrid accident. 

The coaches and damaged freight were scrapped, 3251 was taken to the works to be repaired, and the Amtrak was on the other side of the coaches. 3251 wasn’t taken out of service because the accident was of bad weather.

Not an actual incident

3728 was preparing to carry his freight service through the sandy west side desert of Cajon Pass. He backed up, coupled, and his driver went to assemble the brake pipe. The secondman stayed behind to make sure 3728’s brakes didn’t slip off. “Are we ready?” 3728 asked. “We sure are young ‘un!” His driver replied, slipping his brakes off. 

Just like every other freight service the driver started off with throttle 4 then jumped to throttle 8. The trip was going well, getting good speed while going uphill. Then downhill approached and the driver put 3728’s throttle on idle to not gain too much speed while going downhill. “WOOOOOO!” 3728 shouted as he thundered down the hill. 

Then up ahead 3728, the driver, and the secondman saw a little blue flag on the rails in the distance. “DERAIL!” The secondman shouted, warning the driver. The driver then put the Auto. brake and the Ind. brake to full to not cause too much damage. They got down to 30 mph but the hill was too steep and they couldn’t stop in time. 

By the time they reached the derail they were going 15 mph still way too fast and with a jump and a crash they were off the rails. The driver and the secondman climbed out of 3728 with a limp. “Sorry you three. We’re working on the line.” A worker said. 

“Oh no it’s fine.” The driver said. “What about me?” 3728 asked. “We’ll have you back on the tracks in no time.” The worker answered. 3251 came with a crane and put 3728 back on the tracks. The freight service was put off for another day.

Not an actual incident

Norfolk Northern was thinking about showcasing some of their old rolling stock across Norfolk, VA. 796 an 1881 went to an old shed and gathered up some old rolling stock. They gathered up 35 different bo cars all rusty and faded. 796 took the back and 1881 took the lead. “Ready?” 796 asked. “Let’s go!” 1881 replied. 

The 2 set off for Norfolk, VA but little did they know their rolling stock was a little too old. The 25th box car knuckle had snapped and from then on to the back was a runaway. 796 had been set to trail and had no driver so he couldn’t be set back to lead and stop himself. 

What added onto it was that he was going downhill! “HELP!” 796 cried out. 1881 couldn’t hear him because the switch had already been reset. 1881 went right and 796 kept on forwards. “We’ve left our tail behind!” 1881’s driver said. “WHAT!?” 1881 said frightened. “796 is a runaway!” 1881’s secondman (796’s driver) said. 

“I GOT ‘EM!” GranDiesel yelled racing after 796. GranDiesel raced up behind 796, coupled, and slammed his brakes on. “You ok there youngin?” GranDiesel asked. “Yeah. Thanks pops.” 796 said panting. “No problem. Now let's get you back to your train.” GranDiesel said. 

1881 took his old rolling stock by himself and 796 took his with GranDiesel. “You know youngin? I remember actually using these.” GranDiesel told 796. They then got their rolling stock to their destination.

Based on an actual incident

There was a junction post. It was a busy junction. The junction had served for a long time. It was often repaired so it could stay in service. But one day inspections were skipped and the junction was left in an old shape. It was still in good condition at least until it rained. When it rained it locked every single point. 

They couldn’t switch! Some trains were lucky to go in a direction they needed to but others weren’t so lucky. 5250 was supposed to be heading straight on but instead turned right. “This isn’t the right way.” 5250 said confused. 

Then another freight service came rushing head on towards 5250! 5250 tried to reverse and the oncoming locomotive slammed on her brakes but she was going way too fast. Luckily the outcome wasn’t a devastating collision. 

The oncoming locomotive and 5250’s couplers had locked into each other and the on comer shoved 5250 backwards. 5250’s eyes were shut as tight as a chris crossed thread. Once they came to a stop, 5250 slowly opened his eyes. “Oh hey 5353!” 5250 said. “Yeah…Hey.” She replied. “Don’t worry it’s not our fault the junction rusted over and it can’t switch.” 5250 explained. 

“I hear they skipped inspections. I’ll contact the dispatcher so he can contact the workers.” 5353 said. 5353 and 5250 had to delay their freight service because of the junction points. The workers came and oiled the points and they were able to switch again. 5250 and 5353 then continued their services safely without worry.

Not an actual incident

“Alright! Back to the yard!” The driver said. 5533 was excited to return to the yard. He had a long day and was worn out by the weight he was pulling. The driver climbed in and pulled 5533 off the delivery site. 5533 got up to speed easily since there was barely any weight on him. The empty box cars took it easy on 5533. 

“Hey Mr. BESF!” 5533 said excitedly as he passed. “Hello!” Mr. BESF replied. 5533 liked Mr. BESF. He was always so nice and compliant. As 5533 went on he thought more and more about getting back to the freight yard and having a good rest. 

He started distracting himself from the rails. What he saw was that the rails were clear but little did he know they weren’t. On the rails was not an oncoming train, red signal, or random box cars. What was on the tracks was a stalled bus stuck on the crossing. 

But then 5533 came back to reality and he saw what was in front of him. He slammed his brakes on as tight as he could. He got down to 15 mph but he couldn’t stop in time. 5533 slammed into the bus and stopped only a few feet after the crossing. The passengers and bus driver had already evacuated the bus so luckily no one was hurt. 5533’s driver climbed out and went to check if everything was ok. 

The people confirmed and 5533’s driver got back into 5533 once the bus was taken off the tracks. 5533 finished his journey safely without any more buses.

Based on an actual incident

7290 of BESF was getting ready for transportation of an intermodal train down the Cajon. 7290 was going with 7920 his cousin. Once everything and everyone was checked over and 7290 was set up they got moving once the right away was given. But they didn’t know a brake pipe wasn’t connected so the brakes won’t be functional! But once the mistake was realized it was already too late since they had already left the yard. The trip was going smoothly. 7290 and 7920 were blowing through like a breeze in the wind. Once they got up to a good speed they idled on 50 since it was a good speed. Then they reached the signal that notified the Cajon Pass. “Alright, start braking.” 7920 instructed. 7290 went into Minimum Application but they didn’t slow down. Then he set the Independant to full. But it was too late. The grade was too steep for the independent brake itself and the automatic brake was dysfunctional! “What’re you doing?! Slow us down!” 7920 yelled as they picked up speed. “I’m trying both brakes! The automatic’s must be blown!” 7290 shouted back. “Oh no.” 7920 mumbled. They were going 70…then 75….then 80…now 90…and then…100 miles per hour. They were going 65 over the speed limit! The tracks down Cajon were bad so the trip was bumpy. So much so that one of the cars had jumped the tracks! And then worse happened of a bad situation. Up ahead was a sharp bend and with no brakes it wouldn’t end well. 7290 and 7920 shut their eyes as hard as they could bracing for the impact. And only a matter of seconds…3…2…1….and-BOOM! They were off the track then bumping and bouncing on the sandstone. The sandstone had chipped and damaged the wheels and cowcatcher and the freight had bounced left and right onto their sides and snapped multiple couplers loose. The friction between 7920's and 7290’s wheels slowed them down and made them dig into the ground and eventually stop their journey. 

To be continued…

Based on an actual incident

It was the early afternoon. 9050 and 9051 of XSC were preparing for a manifest train with 9050 leading and 9051 trailing. Once the tracks were switched the right way they slowly reversed into the train. Then CLANK! 9051 coupled into the box car of the train. “Alright we’re in. Hey Tony! Hook us up!” 9050 yelled. Tony jogged up to 9050 and 9051 to assemble their brake pipes. PSSHHH! “Alright. You’re good!” Tony said walking off. 9050 waited until he was 90,90 then pulled off. Their wheels and the freight scraped the tracks as they slowly gained speed. “This is 9050 to dispatch. We are now moving, are all the ahead tracks clear for procedure?” 9050 asked. “Affirmative. You have all right away to proceed.” Dispatch responded. “Clear?” 9051 asked. “All clear.” 9050 responded. They thundered down the tracks and the freight pounded behind them.”Dispatch to 9050. Weather warning advised as heavy rain is coming through. Stay safe through the grade. Over and out.” Dispatch informed. “Oh yeah. That doesn’t look too good.” 9050 said looking up at the clouds. “What?” 9051 asked. “Dispatch hit me on the radio. They gave us a weather warning. For the grade we’re coming up on. No worry though. We’ll get through. It’s only 20 cars anyways.” 9050 answered. “Yeah. You’re right about that. We’ll push through.” 9051 replied. 9050 and 9051 roared down the line. Clickity clank, clinkity clank they went down the line. Then it got darker. Then it started raining. “Oh boy. Here we go.” 9051 said. “Yep. But we’ll get through.” 9050 replied. 9050 started dropping sand to keep steady. 9051 dropped sand along with him. Then it started to rain harder. They slowly started to descend of speed as heavy rain and a 1.8% grade isn’t a good mix. They went from 60. Down to 50. Then 35! “Oh crap. Oh no. That’s not good.” 9050 said. “It sure isn’t. Our sand isn’t working!” 9051 replied. “We might be out.” 9050 replied worryingly. They increased to max throttle. But they still kept slowing down. 20. 15. 10. 3. Then 0. But 9050 didn’t idle himself. He kept on with max throttle! “Come on. Come on.” 9050 grunted. His engine rumbled and roared. His exhaust smoked. And then..BANG! 9050 idled his engine. “Oof…Ouch.” 9050 moaned. His front middle traction motor had blown out. It was smoking from both sides. 9050 released the brakes and let him and 9051 rollback. “What happened? Is everything alright?” 9051 asked. “My traction. It’s blown.” 9050 replied, trying to hide the pain in his voice. His blown motor was smoking like his exhaust pipe only more black. Then 1123 came around beside them. 1122 was with him. A fellow AC6000CW like himself. “Woah boys. Are y’all alright? We heard a bang then all we see is smoke so we went ahead and rushed over here.” 1123 said. “Fine and dandy. Just a blown out traction motor is all.” 9050 answered. “Oof. Hey 9051 take poor 9050 back to Cumberland Yard would you? We can take it for you.” 1122 said. The 1120 brothers rolled in front of the 9050 brothers just enough for them to move up and back off onto the other line. The 1120’s backed up into the freight and coupled. Tony, who was riding on 1122 dismounted and assembled the brake pipes. Tony then climbed onto the 9050’s. “Farewell you two.” Tony said to the 1120’s. 1123 blew his horn and 1122 did also. The 1120’s engines roared and they got moving. 9051 took the lead and 9050 took the trail. The 9050’s reversed back into Cumberland. “Ouch…” 9050 groaned. “We’re almost there.” 9051 said. Then as the final switch was thrown 9051 shunted 9050 into Cumberland Shop and dropped 9050 onto the raise table. 9051 uncoupled and rolled back. 9050 cut his engine and was raised up. 9050’s truck was detached and was worked on. A couple hours passed and 9050’s blown traction was fixed and the 1120’s came to visit him along with 9051. His truck was reattached and 9050 was lowered back onto the tracks. The 9050’s and 1120’s smiled brightly with 9050 being back in action.

Not an actual incident