Global Fastener News

Union Pacific completed its rail fastening system replacement work throughout the eight miles of curved track in the Columbia River Gorge.

The work was prompted by a fiery derailment of an oil train in the scenic gorge. The wreck spilled 42,000 gallons of oil into the Columbia River and forced the evacuation of a nearby town.

Train operator Union Pacific said the June 3 derailment was caused by “a failure of the lag bolts” used to attach the rail to the rail tie on a curved section of track.

Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) administrator Hal Gard said the lag bolts were “rusted on both ends, indicating they had been sheared off before the derailment,” the Associated Press reported in June.

Union Pacific said the track is now secured “with a fastening system that includes spikes instead of lag bolts, enhancing defect detectability during inspections.”

Periodic tests conducted by both Union Pacific and ODOT had failed to identify the faulty bolts before the crash occurred.

The lag-bolt system reportedly was installed on the route in 2001, and the rails at the location were replaced in 2013.