Sand to blame? Sand strewn on the track to increase traction may have interfered with a rail signalling system and led to the 6 May Brooklyn rail collision in Australia in which six people died, reports The Evening Post. Extensive tests of the signalling system in the section of track, by the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney, had shown it was operating perfectly, State Rail executives said. However, excessive sand deposited on the track by steam locomotive 3801 may have insulated the track and stopped the signal being relayed to the inter-urban train behind, they said. Another key element in the tragedy was the activation of the emergency hand brake in the steam train, which probably caused the locomotive to stall on an incline. Six people were killed and up to 100 injured when the 5.20pm Newcastle-Sydney inter-city train slammed into the back of the stationary steam train, 5km south of BrookLyn. City Rail Group General Manager Rob Schwarzer said State Rail was completely satisfied with the signalling operation, and temporary manual signalling installed after the accident would be lifted. EXTRACT FROM RAILS JULY 1990