Sure looks like SOMEbody will get blamed!The crew that didn't secure or " Protect against uncontrolled movement" as the Rulebook sez! The paper accounts contridicted themselves, after all, as stated above, what do they know about trains? My impression is that the 160 was 'Made up" with 2 other units at the yard, crew wasn't aboard. But that shouldn't have mattered. If 3 lokies are made up, that would mean that the pipes woulda been hooked up? Brake pipe, Main Res. Actuating pipe, those three hoses you see on every engine, the angle cocks opened, brake stand 'Cut out" in each trailing unit, the 27 pin control jumper plugged in so it will power up on command, from the cut in leading unit, no matter how many engines are made up. Now in this situation, if you come apart, EVERYTHING goes "in the hole"and you stop! Game Over! Sooo these wern't made up correctly, or somebody with a strange sense of humor closed the angle cocks on BOTH engines, IF the brakes were released, pulled the pin, and let her go, air bottled, maybe gave her a few notches of power, as I have heard part of the runaway route was up hill? Engines don't defy the laws of physics long or roll UP hill.
Bottom line, and I hope RR knowledgable folks checked real fast angle cock positions, throttle settings, Cutting lever position, was it pulled? Damn sure! When's the last time you heard of a " Pull apart" anyhow, if it, the cut of engines were sitting on a hill, you would hafta Slack it back to get the pin so you could pull it, to set the engine loose, anyhow.Same guy that set the throttle? SOMEbody very familiar with RR operations?Was the engine being towed with no air? Cringe! A NO NO in all our rulebooks! Trucks cut out so it could have air but none to the air brake cylinders to be able to stop it..now ya have a deadly missle! Check for fingerprints on the controls? Should be interesting if the powers that be don't botch the investigation!Cutting lever(s) in an upright, pulled position, pin up, that would be the biggie, meaning deliberate.
Big as trains are, they are relativly docile, rarely attack, even if provoked, and only go in predictable manor