Report on derailment nearby Svorkmo station, Thamshavn line 3 october 2017
Railway report 2018/07
On Tuesday 3 October 2017, a passenger train derailed at Svorkmo station on the Thamshavn line. The train consisted of a two-axle locomotive and two passenger carriages. It was carrying 28 primary school pupils and 4 other passengers.
The train derailed as a result of gauge spread at Svorkmo station. The sleepers were from the 1950s, and the rails are fastened with base plates and dog spikes. The gauge spread arose because the dog spikes did not have sufficient grip in the wooden sleepers to withstand the loads from passing rolling stock. In particular, two-axle locomotives traversing a curve will exert force on the tracks and cause higher lateral loads.
The line is now owned and operated by Orkla Industrial Museum, which is a branch of the Museums of Sør-Trøndelag (Museene i Sør-Trøndelag AS). The museum has been working on replacing sleepers on parts of the line. At the time of derailment, a stretch of approximately 5.9 kilometres, corresponding to 8,500 sleepers, remained. The sleepers at the derailment site had not been replaced.
Orkla Industrial Museum has described their inspection activities in the safety management system, but no acceptance criteria have been established for inspection of safety-critical objects in the infrastructure.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN) submits one safety recommendation. It concerns requesting the Museums of Sør-Trøndelag to review and improve the inspection and maintenance of S-marked objects.
Safety recommendation
Safety recommendation JB No 2018/10T
On Tuesday 3 October 2017, museum train 344 consisting of a locomotive and two passenger carriages derailed at Svorkmo station on the Thamshavn line. The derailment was caused by gauge spread resulting from the poor quality of the sleepers. Sleepers are S-marked objects, and this requires a particular focus in connection with maintenance and inspection etc. No tolerance limit values have been established for S-marked objects.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that the Norwegian Railway Authority request the Museums of Sør-Trøndelag to review and improve the procedure for inspection and maintenance of S-marked objects.
Facts
| Location | Svorkmo |
| Occurrence date | 03.10.2017 |
| Train No | 344 |
| Type of Transportation | Heritage Railway |
| Type of occurrence | Derailment |