Driver turns back on train, loses it

An Australian locomotive engineer is very embarrassed.

Via Newsweek:

For around 50 minutes, the 1.2-mile locomotive sped along with 268 wagons in tow until authorities decided to remotely derail it from BHP's operations center almost 1,000 miles away in Perth.

The locomotive got free when its driver stepped out of his cab to check on one of the wagons. However, before he could get back in, the train had already set off on its unplanned journey. "While the driver was outside of the locomotive, the train commenced to run away," the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) explained.

No one was injured in the accident, though the ATSB said the train was badly damaged along with around a mile of track, The Guardian noted.