Topeka Runaway Disaster
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| Topeka Runaway Disaster | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 27 November 1994 4:45 AM |
| Location | Topeka, Kansas |
| Country |  United States |
| Line | Central Gateway Turtle Railroad |
| Cause | Brake line leak |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Passengers | 867 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Pedestrians | 5 |
| Deaths | 178 |
| Injuries | 309 |
| Damage | 1 GP40FH-2 8 Bi-level coaches |
The Topeka Runaway Disaster was a railway accident that occured on November 27, 1994, in Topeka, Kans as, when CGTR's Thundering Lapis—containing 8 bi-level passenger coaches and being pulled by CGTR #1, an EMD GP40FH-2—would fly off of a bend at 77 miles per hour (124 km/h), crushing 2 cars, derailing all 9 cars and locomotives, and killing 178 people and injuring 309 more after losing control due to a brake line leak.
The accident was named after the city it took place in—Topeka, Kansas—and would become the most deadly train wreck in American history, surpassing the Great Train Wreck of 1918 by 77 deaths.
Background
In 1988—6 years prior to the incident—CGTR would replace their locomotives dedicated to pulling the Thundering Lapis, EMD F40PHs #1–3, with the newer EMD GP40FH-2s. These three locomotives would pull the Thundering Lapis without issue for a good few years, until 1994, when an inadequate inspection of #1 would result in the corrosion on locomotive's Westinghouse 26L brake line going unnoticed.