1978 — Feb 24, train derails Feb 22, LPG tank car leaks, explodes 24th, Waverly, TN– 16

— 16 Jones. “1978 Multiple-Death Fires: Smoking Materials…” Fire Journal, July 1969, p. 34.
–14 civilians
— 2 firefighters
— 16 NTSB, RAR. Derailment of Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company’s Train No. 584.
— 16 Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. The Waverly Explosion. 2002.
— 6 immediately
–10 over the next few days from injuries
— 16 Resnikoff. Study of Transportation Accident Severity. NV Nuclear Waste Pjt. 1992, p. 42.
— 16 Wikipedia. “List of Rail Accidents (1950-1999).”
— 16 Wikipedia. “Waverly, Tennessee Tank Car Explosion.”

Narrative Information

National Transportation Safety Board: “About 10:25 PM on February 22, 1978, 23 cars of a Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company’s Train No. 584 derailed at a facing point switch in Waverly, Term. At 2:53 PM on February 24, a derailed tank car containing LPG ruptured, igniting with explosive force. As a result 16 persons died and 43 were injured. The cause was a crack caused by the derailment. The car exploded during movement of the car for transfer of product. The derailment was due to a broken wheel on the 17th car.

“About 14 mi north of Colesburg, train no. 584 received a ‘no defect’ indication from a hot journal detection device. At 10:25 AM, while operating in compliance with the 35 mph restriction through the City of Waverly, the train’s brakes went into emergency. The train had separated when the 17th through 39th car derailed. Two LPG tank cars were part of the derailment. No leakage. Mgmt. decided to move the tank cars to a position alongside the track structure where the lading could be transferred into highway tan trucks. Cable slings were placed around the north end of the tank car and using the opposite end as a pivot, the car was moved about 12 ft eastward and wooden crossties were placed under the north end. The other tank car was similarly moved and the relocations were completed by 2:15 PM. Still no leakage.

“L&N’s wrecking crew continued to remove the derailed cars and the main track was opened to rail traffic 8 PM, February 23.

“A semitrailer truck arrived at Waverly about 1 PM on February 24. The transfer had not yet started when, about 2:53 PM, the tank car ruptured and released LPG which ignited downwind. 16 persons died and 43 were injured as a result. 18 bldgs. and 26 motor vehicles were destroyed. The Waverly fire equipment was destroyed in the fire, but equipment from neighboring communities was brought in. By 3:45 PM, deluge guns poured water onto the tank cars. By 5 PM all fires in the vicinity were extinguished.

“About 1000 psig is the bursting pressure of the tank. The rupture occurred at a pressure of 300 psig, due to the weakened condition.

“The high carbon wheel wears better, but if wheels heats because of dragging or sticking brakes, the wheel tends to crack and break. The tank car was constructed of 25/32 inch steel and held 30,149 gallons.” (NTSB. Railroad Accident Report. Derailment of Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company’s Train No. 584 and Subsequent Rupture of Tank Car Containing Liquefied Petroleum Gas, Waverly, Tennessee, February 22, 1978. 1979.)

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency: “In almost every critical aspect of our daily lives, there can usually be found a “watershed” moment, or a moment that defines a critical problem or situation that is found in society or the world. An example would be the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, which resulted in a top-to-bottom review of the way NASA managed the shuttle program.

“Throughout the late 1960s and into the 70s, accidents involving hazardous materials were becoming more and more prevalent. As society began to become reliant on newer technologies and man-made goods, it was becoming necessary to transport hazardous materials all across the country from their point of manufacture to wherever they were needed. This put more and more of these materials on the nation’s roads and railroads. It was therefore (obviously) more likely that accidents involving hazmats would only increase in number.

“On February 22, 1978, an L&N Railroad train passing through the town of Waverly, Tennessee, derailed. Included in this train were cars carrying liquid propane gas. Eventually a small leak would form on one of the cars, and a tremendous explosion would occur, killing several people, including the Waverly police and fire chiefs, and a TEMA (then TOCD) employee. This event would forever change the nature of emergency response to accidents involving hazardous materials.” (TN EMA. The Waverly Explosion. “Prologue.” 2002)

“At about 10:30 PM on February 22, 1978, 24 cars of a Louisville and Northern Railroad train headed from Nashville to Memphis derailed in the small town of Waverly, the county seat of Humphreys County which is located about 60 miles west of Nashville along Interstate 40. The town had a population of about 5,000 people. The derailment involved 24 of the train’s 92 cars, and occurred right in the center of the downtown area.

“The initial response to the derailment was handled by the Waverly Fire and Police Departments. After determining that hazardous materials were involved, namely LPG, an examination was made of the cars and no leaks were found. The initial inspection was accomplished without the aid of gas detection devices, and relied solely on the sensory abilities of the personnel involved. The fire crews also assumed (incorrectly) that the car was a double-wall tank car.

“Despite this, the decision was made to evacuate a nearby house and custodial care unit. The fire chief instructed the city’s dispatcher to notify Civil Defense the following morning. TOCD was notified of the accident early in the morning of the 23rd, but was told there were no hazmats involved.

“At 5:10 on the morning of February 23, TOCD was notified that there were indeed hazmats involved and TOCD dispatched a state hazmat team, led by then West Region Director Ron Collins. At about 6:30 AM, the state team arrived and concurred with the local officials decision (already implemented) to set up master streams on the tanks to keep them cool. Additional evacuations were ordered for a 1/4 mile radius, and electrical and natural gas service was shut off to the area.

“L&N crews, meanwhile, began the process of clearing the debris and reopening the tracks. One of the derailed LPG cars was partially covered by the other cars, and crews set about removing them. Once this had been accomplished, a cable sling was placed around one end of car #UTLX83013 (the one that would eventually explode), and one end of it was relocated approximately 12 feet east to remove it from the tracks. All relocations were completed by 2:15 PM on Feb. 23rd.

“The L&N crew continued the process of removing derailed cars from the tracks and the line was reopened to limited traffic at about 8:00 PM that evening. L&N had requested a team to respond to off-load the LPG from the derailed cars, and at approximately 1:00 PM the next day (the 24th), a semi-trailer and tanker truck arrived. A supervisor that was familiar with the handling of LPG headed the crew. The crew went to lunch and was to begin the removal process when they returned.

“Temperatures had been in the 20s and had remained there throughout much of this time, and there was approximately ½ inch of snow on the ground.” (TN EMA. The Waverly Explosion. “Day 1.” 2002.)

“By the afternoon of the 24th, the temperature in the area had risen to the mid-50s… About 20 minutes before the offloading process was to begin, another test was accomplished using gas detection equipment. These tests again revealed no apparent leaks of product from either tank….
At about 2:58 PM, vapor was observed leaking from the tank car. Before anyone could react, an explosion (BLEVE – Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion) occurred. The explosion and resulting fires immediately killed 6 people, including the Waverly Fire Chief, and damaged or disabled much of the on-scene firefighting capability….The explosion propelled debris from the car in several different directions, including one head-end piece that was launched over 330 feet away, landing in front of a house. People in the area reported hearing and feeling the explosion several blocks away. Several major buildings in the downtown Waverly area were engulfed in flames, as were vehicles, people and other rail cars in the area. The second tank car was near the flames but did not detonate.” (TN EMA. The Waverly Explosion. “The Explosion.” 2002.)

“For the next several hours, over 250 emergency vehicles from 39 counties poured into Waverly to assist in putting out the fires and caring for the injured, including teams from as far away as Nashville and Memphis. TOCD requested air ambulances from Fort Campbell Army Post to transport burn victims to Nashville, and ordered the evacuation radius extended out to 1 mile in case the 2nd tank exploded. The National Guard Armory in Waverly was opened for use as a shelter.

“At about 7:00 PM that evening the fires in downtown Waverly were finally contained, and a short time later all mutual-aid units are sent home. A total of 16 buildings are totally destroyed, and local officials begin an extensive search of the area for casualties. The search was called off due to poor visibility, but resumed the next morning at 5:30.

“The more seriously injured burn victims are transported to Nashville for initial stabilization, but many are sent to burn centers in Louisville, Birmingham, and Cincinnati later in the day on the 25th.

“At 3:15 PM on the 25th, a rail car loaded with paper products re-ignites and bursts into flames, but is quickly put out. Transfer of the product from the second rail car begins and is completed by 10:30 that evening. The newly loaded car is taken to Jackson, Tennessee, its original destination. Evacuated residents are allowed to return to their homes at 8:30 AM on the morning of the 26th, and at 12:00 PM the shelter at the Armory is closed.” (TN EMA. The Waverly Explosion. “Response.” 2002.)

“A total of 16 people were killed in the Waverly explosion – 6 died instantly, while the remaining 10 died in hospitals over the course of the next several days….and another 43 people were hospitalized with injuries of varying degrees.” (TEMA. Waverly Explosion. “Casualties.” 2002.)

Sources

Jones. “1978 Multiple-Death Fires: Smoking Materials Lead Ignition Sources.” Fire Journal, Vol. 73, No. 4, July 1969, pp. 33-40.

National Transportation Safety Board. Railroad Accident Report. Derailment of Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company’s Train No. 584 and Subsequent Rupture of Tank Car Containing Liquefied Petroleum Gas, Waverly, Tennessee, February 22, 1978 (NTSB-RAR-79-1). Washington, DC: NTSB, 1979. Abstract accessed at: http://www.nrc.gov/materials/transportation/certification/package-study/rwma92.pdf
Report accessed 6-14-2021 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=r5ku53Kd5fwC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Resnikoff, Marvin. Study of Transportation Accident Severity. Radioactive Waste Management Associates, for the Nevada Nuclear Waste Project Office, February 1992. Accessed 2-5-2012 at: http://www.nrc.gov/materials/transportation/certification/package-study/rwma92.pdf

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency. The Waverly Explosion. Nashville, TN: TEMA, 2002. Accessed 6-14-2021 at: http://web.archive.org/web/20060516064527/www.tnema.org/Archives/Waverly/Waverly1.htm

Wikipedia. “List of Rail Accidents (1950-1999).” Accessed 7-18-2018 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_1950-1999_rail_accidents

Wikipedia. “Waverly, Tennessee Tank Car Explosion.” Accessed 3-13-2009 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waverly,_Tennessee_tank_car_explosion