The 1997 Devine, Texas train collision was a train collision that occurred at Devine, Texas on June 22, 1997, on the Union Pacific Railroad (UP)'s Laredo subdivision.
| 1997 Devine, Texas train collision | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | June 22, 1997 10:52 PM |
| Location | Devine, Texas |
| Country | United States |
| Line | Laredo subdivision |
| Operator | Union Pacific Railroad (UP) |
| Incident type | Train collision at Devine, Texas due to communication issues |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Deaths | 4 |
| Injured | 2 |
Background
editTrains and crews involved
editOn June 22, 1997, Union Pacific (UP) intermodal train ZYCMX-21, also known as Extra 9186 South, was travelling from Chicago, Illinois to Mexico, the train was composed of:[1]
- UP C40-8 #9186
- UP SD60M #6143
- 62 intermodal cars transporting auto parts
Meanwhile UP manifest train MLDLI-22, also known as Extra 5981 North, was travelling from Laredo, Texas to Livonia, Louisiana, the train was composed of:[1]
- UP SD60 #5981
- UP SD40-2 #4211
- UP SD50 #5084
- 86 freight cars
The crew involved on Extra 5981 North were 27-year-old engineer Brian Boner, and 48-year-old conductor Terry Yarborough.[2][3] The crew involved on Extra 9186 South was 39-year-old engineer Neil Wilhelm, and 37-year-old conductor Randy Dennis.[2][3]
Collision
editExtra 9186 South and Extra 5981 North were moving toward one another on the same single main track at Devine, Texas. As the two drew closer, the Omaha dispatcher formulated a "meet" order to dictate that one of the two trains would pull off onto a siding to let the other pass. However, the dispatcher issued incomplete, conflicting conditional track warrants, resulting in Extra 5981 North proceeding onto a designated passing siding, effectively giving both opposing crews track authority to occupy the exact same stretch of the mainline simultaneously.[4]
Because the territory lacked track signals, neither crew received a visual warning that another train was on their track. They continued traveling at normal line speeds through the darkness, completely unaware of the impending hazard. The trains collided at 10:52 PM over Texas State Highway 132 at milepost 290.4 in Devine, Texas. The collision had derailed all five locomotives and bringing 20 cars with them, sparking a fire. however, the bridge didn't collapse.[4]
The fire went on for 45 minutes until it was extinguished by firefighters that were dispatched 30 miles (48 kilometres) southwest of San Antonio, at 11:37 pm.[5] Conductor Terry Yarborough from Extra 5981 North and engineer Neil Wilhelm from Extra 9186 South were killed in the accident. Two unidentified trespassers, who were reported to have been riding the trains illegally, were also killed in the accident, bringing the total of fatalities to four.[6] Brian Boner from Extra 5981 North had received minor injuries,[7] Randy Dennis was severely burnt and moved to the Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio.[6][7] Total property damage was $6,015,067 ($12,063,800 in 2026).[4]
Investigation
editPrior to the investigation, Union Pacific spokesman John Bromley had suspected that human error was the cause of the accident.[3] The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would launch an investigation into the collision, and they found four contributing factors. The first contributing factor would be dispatcher error and miscommunication, as the third-shift dispatcher orally authorized Extra 9186 South to proceed without including a mandatory instruction to wait at the Gessner siding for Extra 5981 North to pass.[4]
The second contributing factor would be failure to verify, as the dispatcher failed to catch errors when the train crew were incorrectly reading back the track warrants, and the crew did not question the omission of the wait instruction. The third contributing factor was systemic workload issues, as management on the Union Pacific Railroad had not established adequate workload policies or proper operational procedures to ensure a safe train-dispatching system during high-traffic periods.[4]
The final contributing factor was a lack of Positive Train Control (PTC), as the Laredo subdivision had lacked an installed positive train separation system. Such a system would have automatically intervened and stopped the trains, preventing the collision when the human error occurred.[4] The NTSB released their final report on May 19, 1998, identifying the cause of the accident being the third-shift dispatcher had failed to relay the correct track warrant to the train crews on Extra 5981 North and Extra 9186 South.[4][8]
Aftermath
editAfter the accident, three of the five locomotives involved, SD60 #5981, SD60M #6143, and C40-8 #9186, were retired by UP on July 14, 1997, and were scrapped on site by Smith and Chambers. UP 4211 was retired on August 21, 1997,[9] and sold to Smith and Chambers for scrap on October 30, 1998.[citation needed]
SD50 #5084 was repaired and returned to service until being retired on April 20, 2001,[10] and sold to the National Railway Equipment Company (NREX), it was sold to Webb Asset Management (WAMX) and renumbered as 5116, and leased to the Appalachian and Ohio Railroad (AO) between 2005 and 2009, and then leased to the Stillwater Central Railroad (SLWC).[citation needed]
Wilhelm Junction would be named after Neil Wilhelm, while Yarborough Siding would be named after Terry Yarborough, as part of a dedication to the two crew members that died in the accident.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 "Report details horrific head-on train collision, derailment, and explosion in Devine 26 years ago". The Devine News. 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- 1 2 3 Holden, Samuel C. (2018). "BLET member reflects on tragic 1997 collision in Devine, Texas" (PDF). BLET Journal. No. 1. p. 12. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- 1 2 3 "Four killed in train collision". The Battalion. Vol. 103, no. 153. 1997-06-24. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Collision and derailment of Union Pacific Railroad freight trains 5981 North and 9186 South in Devine, Texas on June 22, 1997 (PDF) (Report). National Transportation Safety Board. 1998-05-19. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- ↑ "Four die as two freight trains collide in Texas". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- 1 2 "A fourth body has been recovered from the twisted,... - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- 1 2 "Railroaders killed on the job". Railroad Workers United. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- ↑ Watson, Rip (1998-05-20). "SAFETY BOARD BLAMES TRAIN DISPATCHER ERROR FOR UP'S DEADLY TEXAS COLLISION IN 1997". Journal of Commerce. Retrieved 2026-05-24.
- ↑ Extra Twenty-two Hundred South. Issue 114. 1997. Dover Printing. p. 23
- ↑ Extra Twenty-two Hundred South. Issue 123. 2000. Dover Printing. p. 24