DB Netz Class 711.1 burns out in Freilassing

[Robert]

Unit was 711 119-8 (D-DB 99 80 9436 061-2), which apparently caught fire
and then ran away. It was diverted into a siding at Freilassing where it
ran into a buffer stop and came to a halt. No injures have been reported.

From <https://salzburg.orf.at/stories/3191135>.

"According to eyewitnesses, dangerous scenes took place shortly before
03:00 on the railway line between Salzburg and Munich. An unoccupied
locomotive caught fire near the hamlet of Straß between Freilassing and
Traunstein.

Firefighters from Ainring, Teisendorf, Bad Reichenhall and Freilassing
went out to fight the fire. Shortly before the first fire-fighting
cannons could be brought to bear, the burning diesel engine resisted,
picked up speed and, with the help of gravity, accelerated eastwards on
the slightly downhill stretch towards Freilassing. The police report
states that the emergency services "immediately took up the pursuit".

The emergency services announced that the tractor could be diverted to a
siding in the east of Freilassing station by setting the appropriate
switches. The odyssey ended there at a buffer stop.

“The diesel locomotive burned out completely. The impact pushed the
buffer stop a few meters on the track. Experts estimate the total damage
at eight to nine million euros," police officer and eyewitness Patricia
Willinger told ORF on request.

The electrical overhead line had been switched off and grounded before
the extinguishing operation. This enabled firefighters to quickly
extinguish the fire. There were no injuries, according to the Bavarian
police officer Willinger: "Experts say that despite the damage, things
ended relatively lightly. Further investigations are ongoing. But the
federal police are responsible for that.”"
--
Rob
"I have never understood why it should be necessary to become irrational
in order to prove that you care, or, indeed, why it should be necessary
to prove it at all." - Avon, Blake's 7