Norfolk Southern changes policy on overheated bearings, months after Ohio derailment

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A minor coal train derailment in Virginia in early July prompted Norfolk Southern to rethink the way it responds to problems with overheating bearings

OMAHA, Neb. — A minor coal train derailment in Virginia in early July prompted Norfolk Southern to rethink the way it responds to problems with overheating bearings, but it's not clear why the railroad didn't make similar changes months earlier after an overheating bearing caused the fiery Ohio derailment that prompted nationwide concerns about rail safety.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the Atlanta-based railroad changed its rules a day after the July 6 derailment to take a much more cautious approach when a hot bearing is found. After the derailment, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union was critical of Norfolk Southern's response because dispatchers told the crew to move the train 13 miles to a siding down the track even after the crew confirmed a bearing on one of the railcars was overheating, and that's when it derailed.

The Virginia derailment that happened coming down out of the Appalachian Mountains near Elliston was relatively minor, with only 19 cars coming off the tracks and none of the coal spilling. The situation in East Palestine, Ohio, was much different with hazardous chemicals spilling from ruptured tank cars and officials deciding to blow open five other tank cars filled with vinyl chloride because they feared they might explode. The cleanup from that Feb. 3 derailment is ongoing, and area residents worry about the possibility of lingering health effects.

Unlike in the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment, the Virginia train crew had enough time to stop the train safely after a trackside detector set off an alarm about the