Empty Locomotives Careen 30 Miles in Out-of-Control Run
Six empty runaway locomotives set loose by “persons unknown” careened unguided down 30 miles of track today before they were stopped by crashing them into a string of empty boxcars, a railroad official said.
No injuries were reported, said Colin Pease, a vice president for Guilford Transportation Co.
He said the railroad believed the incident was related to labor problems and has asked the federal Railroad Authority and the FBI to investigate.
Pease said the locomotives were hooked together and were idling along a stretch of track near Gardner about 10:15 a.m. when “they were intentionally released.”
He said railroad dispatchers cleared the tracks and guided the runaway engines traveling at a high rate of speed by throwing switches on their 45-minute journey south to Deerfield.
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