Disgruntled employee stole and crashed train

A rail worker is facing charges for protesting at working conditions by stealing a train and taking it on a joy ride before crashing it into another locomotive on Thursday. 22-year-old Derek Skyler Brux was charged on Friday with reckless endangering, felony destruction of property and felony destruction, obstruction or removal of railroad track or fixtures after allegedly stealing a train from the North Antelope Rochelle mine in Wyoming and driving it 13 miles before ploughing it into another train. Deputies were called out to the mine at about 8:55 am. The incident started when Brux, a utility coal operator for Rail Link, allegedly became upset about his supervisor’s response to working conditions, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in Circuit Court. The disgruntled employee then unhooked some cars and drove the locomotive around what is described as a “loop” at the site and “pretty much squashed the ‘expletive’ outta their scales,” Brux said.

Brux then called his supervisor and asked her if she wanted to play chicken. He hung up the phone and then called the rail dispatch, advising personnel there he was going onto the main rail line. Brux said he estimated he was going 60 mph for about 15 minutes. He told deputies he did not know where he was headed and that he wanted to make Rail Link pay. Brux said he headed south on the main line. When asked how fast he was going, he responded that he didn’t know if he “quite got up to 70 mph,” but estimated he was going 50 mph for a good part of the trip. Employees from Peabody Energy Corp. and Burlington Northern Santa Fe LLC. attempted to stop the locomotive but were unsuccessful. At least one person, Royce Biegler, was reported to be working on the train tracks at the time of the incident. When Biegler heard Brux call dispatch and say he was going on the main line, Biegler moved his pickup off the track before the oncoming train arrived. No injuries were reported.



At some point in his journey, Brux passed through an area where construction was occurring near a highway crossing. Brux told deputies he blew his horn while passing and said that there were “a lot of workers there.” When asked if he scared the workers Brux said, “They were probably (expletive) scared. They probably (expletive) themselves. Whatever.” During the ride, Rail Link employees tried contacting Brux on his employee phone, Brux told investigators. He got mad and said he was not an Apple fan and smashed the phone for something to do. He took the train to Nacco Junction before backing out onto the main line and approaching a train near an oil field crossing. Brux finally crashed the train into another. “I wanted to see what it was like to hit something, so I hit at it,” Brux said. Brux then backed up and hit the train again.

He estimates the speed of both collisions was under 10 mph. Kerby Caves, a Rail Link Employee, arrived at the scene of the crash as Brux was attempting to leave the area. Caves hit the emergency shut-off switch on the fuel tank, disabling the train. Brux then fled on foot before being caught by deputies. He stated that he was having a bad day and trying to prove a point. When asked if he had thought about taking his own life, Brux replied, “a couple of times.” The affidavit reports Brux said he would do so by hitting “another train, putting possibly other lives in danger ...” The total cost of the damages is not known. Reckless endangering is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment up to one year, a fine up to $750 or both. Felony destruction of property is punishable by imprisonment of not more than 10 years, a fine of up to $10,000 or both. Destruction, obstruction or removal of railroad track or fixtures is a felony punishable by a imprisonment of not less than one year and not more than 20 years, a fine of up to $10,000 or both. Brux could also face additional federal charges from the Federal Railroad Administration.