No driver aboard runaway train halted in Ohio

A man boards the train before bringing it to a halt on Tuesday

KENTON, Ohio (CNN) -- A railway worker jumped aboard a runaway freight train Tuesday as it crossed a rural Ohio intersection and brought the driverless train to a stop.

Authorities believed the engineer had suffered a heart attack while driving the train. But a detective in Kenton told CNN that after the train was stopped, it appeared no one was aboard.

Det. Dennis Alexander said CSX officials latched a second engine onto the back of the train to pull against the front engine, slowing it enough for a CSX officials to board it.

The 47-car CSX train was reportedly carrying flammable material, and officials had been unable to contact the its engineer.

The runaway was stopped just southeast of Kenton, about 55 miles northwest of Columbus.

Sgt. Maj. Mike Blair, of the Wood County Sheriff's Department, said railroad officials had attempted a forced derailment earlier, but were unable to stop the train.

The train slowed as it climbed an uphill grade.

Susan Coughlin, former vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, told CNN that a single operator was not unusual for such trains.

Corry Scheirmeryer of the Federal Railroad Administration said that most trains were equipped with a "dead man's pedal" that must be activated periodically or the train's brakes will be automatically applied. Scheirmeyer said she did not know why the device apparently did not work on the runaway.