# PHMSA Hazmat Incident I-1979111341 — BUTADIENES, STABILIZED OR BUTADIENES AND HYDROCARBON MIXTURE, STABILIZED CONTAINING MORE THAN 40% BUTADIENES — PAXTON, TX

**Citation:** PHMSA Hazmat Incident I-1979111341  
**Type / status:** incident / historical  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** 1979-09-08  
**Published:** Not stated

Serious reporter-submitted hazardous materials transportation incident on 1979-09-08 in PAXTON, TX.

## Document text

PHMSA hazardous materials incident report I-1979111341.
Incident date: 1979-09-08.
Location: PAXTON, TX.
Mode: Rail.
Carrier/reporter: SOUTHERN PACIFIC TRANSP CO.
Shipper: CELANESE CORP / DU PONT E I DE NEMOURS & CO / PETRO CHEM CORP / SHELL CHEMICAL CO.
Materials: UN1010; BUTADIENES, STABILIZED OR BUTADIENES AND HYDROCARBON MIXTURE, STABILIZED CONTAINING MORE THAN 40% BUTADIENES; hazard class 2.1; 33649 LGA released | UN1040; ETHYLENE OXIDE OR ETHYLENE OXIDE WITH NITROGEN UP TO A TOTAL PRESSURE OF 1MPA (10 BAR) AT 50 DEGREES C; hazard class 2.3; 20759 LGA released | UN1052; HYDROGEN FLUORIDE, ANHYDROUS; hazard class 8; 17442 LGA released | UN1089; ACETALDEHYDE; hazard class 3; 20861 LGA released | UN1089; ACETALDEHYDE; hazard class 3; 20876 LGA released | UN1089; ACETALDEHYDE; hazard class 3; 20953 LGA released | UN1230; METHANOL; hazard class 3; 20885 LGA released | UN1301; VINYL ACETATE, STABILIZED; hazard class 3; 20895 LGA released | UN1917; ETHYL ACRYLATE, STABILIZED; hazard class 3; 20976 LGA released | UN1954; COMPRESSED GAS, FLAMMABLE, N.O.S.; hazard class 2.1; 11020 LGA released | UN2056; TETRAHYDROFURAN; hazard class 3; 42718 LGA released.
Reported failure causes: Derailment; Vehicular Crash or Accident Damage.
Reported result: Spillage, Fire.
Reporter-submitted DOT Form 5800.1 data may be incomplete, corrected, supplemented, or misreported. A record, serious-incident classification, failure description, or relationship to a reporting rule is not a PHMSA causal finding, compliance determination, or finding of a violation.

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/PDFGenerator/getPublicReport/OHMIR_5800-1-PUBLIC?INCIDENTID=NfAgjg0%2FqWqjuoQZ2BB6CQ%3D%3D>
- Source ID: `phmsa-hazmat-incidents`
- SHA-256: `97206747b9463be3b791da7fb839ad79014da1a0355d95f6b7df3e35a05768d1`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-13T12:55:56.545Z
- Exported: 2026-08-27T04:34:57.381Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-hazmat-incident-i-1979111341`

### Source metadata

```json
{
  "materialSubtype": "phmsa_hazmat_serious_incident",
  "reportNumber": "I-1979111341",
  "operatorReported": true,
  "serious": true,
  "finalAgencyFinding": false,
  "eventDescriptionExcluded": true,
  "publicPdfUrl": "https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/PDFGenerator/getPublicReport/OHMIR_5800-1-PUBLIC?INCIDENTID=NfAgjg0%2FqWqjuoQZ2BB6CQ%3D%3D",
  "rowCount": 11,
  "carrierReporterNames": [
    "SOUTHERN PACIFIC TRANSP CO"
  ],
  "shipperNames": [
    "CELANESE CORP",
    "DU PONT E I DE NEMOURS & CO",
    "PETRO CHEM CORP",
    "SHELL CHEMICAL CO"
  ],
  "routes": [],
  "cities": [
    "PAXTON"
  ],
  "states": [
    "TX"
  ],
  "originCities": [
    "BAYPORT",
    "HOUSTON",
    "PASADENA",
    "STRANG"
  ],
  "modes": [
    "Rail"
  ],
  "materials": [
    {
      "identificationNumber": "UN1010",
      "commodityName": "BUTADIENES, STABILIZED OR BUTADIENES AND HYDROCARBON MIXTURE, STABILIZED CONTAINING MORE THAN 40% BUTADIENES",
      "hazardousClass": "2.1",
      "quantityReleased": "33649",
      "unitOfMeasure": "LGA"
    },
    {
      "identificationNumber": "UN1040",
      "commodityName": "ETHYLENE OXIDE OR ETHYLENE OXIDE WITH NITROGEN UP TO A TOTAL PRESSURE OF 1MPA (10 BAR) AT 50 DEGREES C",
      "hazardousClass": "2.3",
      "quantityReleased": "20759",
      "unitOfMeasure": "LGA"
    },
    {
      "identificationNumber": "UN1052",
      "commodityName": "HYDROGEN FLUORIDE, ANHYDROUS",
      "hazardousClass": "8",
      "quantityReleased": "17442",
      "unitOfMeasure": "LGA"
    },
    {
      "identificationNumber": "UN1089",
      "commodityName": "ACETALDEHYDE",
      "hazardousClass": "3",
      "quantityReleased": "20861",
      "unitOfMeasure": "LGA"
    },
    {
      "identificationNumber": "UN1089",
      "commodityName": "ACETALDEHYDE",
      "hazardousClass": "3",
      "quantityReleased": "20876",
      "unitOfMeasure": "LGA"
    },
    {
      "identificationNumber": "UN1089",
      "commodityName": "ACETALDEHYDE",
      "hazardousClass": "3",
      "quantityReleased": "20953",
      "unitOfMeasure": "LGA"
    },
    {
      "identificationNumber": "UN1230",
      "commodityName": "METHANOL",
      "hazardousClass": "3",
      "quantityReleased": "20885",
      "unitOfMeasure": "LGA"
    },
    {
      "identificationNumber": "UN1301",
      "commodityName": "VINYL ACETATE, STABILIZED",
      "hazardousClass": "3",
      "quantityReleased": "20895",
      "unitOfMeasure": "LGA"
    },
    {
      "identificationNumber": "UN1917",
      "commodityName": "ETHYL ACRYLATE, STABILIZED",
      "hazardousClass": "3",
      "quantityReleased": "20976",
      "unitOfMeasure": "LGA"
    },
    {
      "identificationNumber": "UN1954",
      "commodityName": "COMPRESSED GAS, FLAMMABLE, N.O.S.",
      "hazardousClass": "2.1",
      "quantityReleased": "11020",
      "unitOfMeasure": "LGA"
    },
    {
      "identificationNumber": "UN2056",
      "commodityName": "TETRAHYDROFURAN",
      "hazardousClass": "3",
      "quantityReleased": "42718",
      "unitOfMeasure": "LGA"
    }
  ],
  "packages": [
    {
      "identificationMarkings": null,
      "outerMaterial": null,
      "outerType": null,
      "outerCapacity": "11020",
      "outerCapacityUnit": "LGA",
      "outerShipmentCount": "1",
      "outerFailedCount": "1",
      "innerMaterial": null,
      "innerType": null,
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    },
    {
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      "outerCapacity": "17442",
      "outerCapacityUnit": "LGA",
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      "outerFailedCount": "1",
      "innerMaterial": null,
      "innerType": null,
      "innerCapacity": "0",
      "innerCapacityUnit": null,
      "innerShipmentCount": "0",
      "innerFailedCount": "0"
    },
    {
      "identificationMarkings": null,
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    },
    {
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      "outerCapacity": "20861",
      "outerCapacityUnit": "LGA",
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    },
    {
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      "outerCapacityUnit": "LGA",
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    },
    {
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    },
    {
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      "outerCapacityUnit": "LGA",
      "outerShipmentCount": "1",
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    },
    {
      "identificationMarkings": null,
      "outerMaterial": null,
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      "outerCapacityUnit": "LGA",
      "outerShipmentCount": "1",
      "outerFailedCount": "1",
      "innerMaterial": null,
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    },
    {
      "identificationMarkings": null,
      "outerMaterial": null,
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      "outerCapacityUnit": "LGA",
      "outerShipmentCount": "1",
      "outerFailedCount": "1",
      "innerMaterial": null,
      "innerType": null,
      "innerCapacity": "0",
      "innerCapacityUnit": null,
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      "innerFailedCount": "0"
    }
  ],
  "reportingRuleContext": [
    "171.15",
    "171.16"
  ],
  "caveat": "Reporter-submitted DOT Form 5800.1 data may be incomplete, corrected, supplemented, or misreported. A record, serious-incident classification, failure description, or relationship to a reporting rule is not a PHMSA causal finding, compliance determination, or finding of a violation.",
  "privacyCaveat": "The public CSV excludes preparer contact fields. Event Description is intentionally excluded from normalized records and search output to reduce incidental personal-information risk.",
  "jurisdiction": "US"
}
```