Gualliguaica rail accident
Encyclopedia
The Gualliguaica rail accident happened on March 11, 1971 near Vicuña
in the Elqui Province
of northern Chile
, when a runaway train carrying 350 passengers, mostly children, derailed next to a 12 metre deep ravine killing twelve people. The site of the accident is now beneath the surface of the Tranque Puclaro
, a reservoir created in 1999.
museum. The journey to Vicuna had proceeded without incident. After lunch the diesel locomotive ran around the train for the return trip as the children took their places in the five car train. The train crew were in the stationmaster's office, finalising details of the return trip when the train started to move off. Those aboard the train thought nothing was amiss but the there was no-one manning the locomotive. When the rail staff realised what was happening they unsuccessfully attempted to board the train in motion but being on a slope it quickly accelerated away from the station. Eight miles down the line at Cuesta de Gualliguaica the line makes a sharp bend next to the Elqui River
. At this point the train derailed plunging into the ravine.
President Salvador Allende
was flown to the scene of the tragedy in an Air Force
plane and demanded that those responsible for the accident be punished.
design so should be fail-safe although the locomotive had been running at idle at the time and a fault in the system may have gone unnoticed. The report also highlighted that against the regulations it had become common practice not to keep the brakes applied when trains were waiting for long periods at the station.
Press reports at the time stated that a six-year boy had got into the cab of the locomotive and accidentally released the brakes.
Vicuña, Chile
Vicuña is a Chilean commune and city in Elqui Province, Coquimbo Region, founded during the government of Bernardo O'Higgins to secure sovereignty over the Elqui Valley. The famous Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral was born there in 1889. It borders to the west with the communes of La Higuera, La...
in the Elqui Province
Elqui Province
Elqui Province is a province in the Chilean region of Coquimbo . The provincial capital is the city of Coquimbo. The province has an area of , and has 365,371 inhabitants.-Geography and demography:...
of northern Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, when a runaway train carrying 350 passengers, mostly children, derailed next to a 12 metre deep ravine killing twelve people. The site of the accident is now beneath the surface of the Tranque Puclaro
Tranque Puclaro
Tranque Puclaro is an artificial lake created by a dam on the Elqui River, 60 km east of the city of La Serena. Regular strong winds make the lake a popular place for kitesurfing.-External links:*...
, a reservoir created in 1999.
Accident
The train was transporting schoolchildren on a day trip from La Serena to Vicuña to visit the Gabriela MistralGabriela Mistral
Gabriela Mistral was the pseudonym of Lucila de María del Perpetuo Socorro Godoy Alcayaga, a Chilean poet, educator, diplomat, and feminist who was the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1945...
museum. The journey to Vicuna had proceeded without incident. After lunch the diesel locomotive ran around the train for the return trip as the children took their places in the five car train. The train crew were in the stationmaster's office, finalising details of the return trip when the train started to move off. Those aboard the train thought nothing was amiss but the there was no-one manning the locomotive. When the rail staff realised what was happening they unsuccessfully attempted to board the train in motion but being on a slope it quickly accelerated away from the station. Eight miles down the line at Cuesta de Gualliguaica the line makes a sharp bend next to the Elqui River
Elqui River
The Elqui River starts in the west Andes, flowing into the Pacific Ocean, crossing the Chilean city of La Serena, is a wine and pisco producing area...
. At this point the train derailed plunging into the ravine.
President Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
was flown to the scene of the tragedy in an Air Force
Chilean Air Force
The Chilean Air Force is the air force of Chile, a branch of the Chilean military.-History:The first step towards the current FACh was taken by Teniente Coronel Pedro Pablo Dartnell, when he founded the Servicio de Aviación Militar de Chile on December 20, 1910, being trained as a pilot in France...
plane and demanded that those responsible for the accident be punished.
Causes
The enquiry into the accident observed that ideally all stations should be built such that no gradient exists on the lines passing through them; but the mountainous terrain in the area had made this impossible in the case of Vicuña. It also stated that the brakes on the train were of the WestinghouseWestinghouse brakes
Westinghouse Brakes may refer to:* A Railway air brake* Westinghouse Air Brake Company - US* Westinghouse Brakes - UK...
design so should be fail-safe although the locomotive had been running at idle at the time and a fault in the system may have gone unnoticed. The report also highlighted that against the regulations it had become common practice not to keep the brakes applied when trains were waiting for long periods at the station.
Press reports at the time stated that a six-year boy had got into the cab of the locomotive and accidentally released the brakes.
Source
- Historia del FFCC de La Serena a Rivadavia (in Spanish)
External links
- Vicuna un Viaje al Pasado - Page 28 shows images of the accident site