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Division 160 member survives tanker truck collision, explosion CLEVELAND, August 13 — Brother Tom Felchle, a member of BLET Division 160 (Harvey, N.D.) survived one of a locomotive engineer’s worst nightmares on August 6. The BLET member with 31 years of experience was working as the engineer of an eastbound Canadian Pacific Railway train when it collided with an empty crude oil tanker truck five miles west of Bowbells, N.D. The accident happened at approximately 12:10 p.m. on the CPR Portal Subdivision. After placing the train’s brakes into emergency, Brother Felchle and his conductor dropped to the floor of the locomotive and used their jackets to cover their heads prior to the collision. The empty tanker truck, which was traveling southbound over a Burke County railroad grade crossing, exploded on impact with the lead locomotive. The tanker truck was shoved eastward for some distance down the track before the emergency brakes stopped the train. The explosion melted plastic bags on the back wall of the lead locomotive cab and caused a fire that scorched paint on the side of the locomotive consist and trailing cars. The Bowbells Rural Fire Department soon extinguished the fire from the demolished and burning truck tanker. Miraculously, the tanker truck driver also survived the fiery collision. He was initially treated at the scene by CP Rail Maintenance of Way employees, who happened to be working in the area of the accident. “Brother Felchle has been a Canadian Pacific Railway/Soo Line Railroad engineer 31 years,” said Craig Thurow, Local Chairman of Division 160. “I believe his experience helped him make some quick decisions that prevented his conductor and himself from being seriously hurt or injured as a result of this collision.” Brother Felchle works out of the CP Rail/Soo Line terminal in Harvey, N.D. He first joined the BLET on January 1, 1981. Thursday, August 13, 2009 bentley@ble.org © 1997-2010 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen

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