They Chased a Runaway Train and Coupled On

On May 15, 2001, a CSX freight train pulled out of Stanley Yard near Toledo, Ohio, with nobody in the cab. It had 47 cars, 22 of them loaded, and two of those were tank cars of molten phenol, a toxic and corrosive chemical. A railroad crew went after it in another locomotive and stopped it.

A Mistake at a Switch

The train's engineer had climbed down to line a switch. Before he left the cab he applied two of the locomotive's three brakes, then reached for the throttle lever instead of the third brake lever.

By the time he realized what he had done, the train was already moving and he could not catch it. He was dragged about 80 feet when he tried to climb back on and came away with minor cuts and scrapes.

The runaway, CSX 8888, headed south across northwest Ohio at up to 51-53 mph. Reports put the run at roughly 65 miles and nearly two hours.

Two Railroaders Give Chase

Engineer Jess Knowlton, a veteran of decades on the railroad, and conductor Terry Forson were aboard a northbound CSX freight when the call came. They uncoupled their own locomotive, CSX 8392, and went after the runaway.

Knowlton matched speed with it and coupled onto the rear car. That is the move that makes the story hard to believe: one locomotive hooking onto the back of a train that is moving at highway speed.

Once they were attached, the crew applied the brakes on 8392 and began dragging the speed down, to about 12 mph near Kenton, Ohio.

The Last Step

CSX trainmaster Jon Hosfeld positioned himself along the track ahead of the runaway. At that slow speed he climbed aboard the lead locomotive as it passed and shut off its power.

The train came to a stop at the Ohio State Route 31 crossing near Kenton. The brake shoes on the runaway locomotive were burned off. CSX's own employee report on the incident says the train covered nearly 70 miles; other accounts give 65 or 66.

From Ohio to Hollywood

The incident inspired the 2010 film Unstoppable, directed by Tony Scott and starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. The film changes plenty. The real train was a locomotive and 47 cars with no one aboard, and it was caught by a crew coupling on from behind and a trainmaster stepping aboard.

The people who stopped the real train were railroaders doing their jobs, and nobody was seriously hurt.