A comment posted under that YouTube:
“Dave, I have confirmation that it WAS indeed a burned off journal. Inside wheel, and what’s causing all the sparks is the wheel is being pulled against the brake beam and causing the wheels to slide at high speed. The bearing was trending for 3 detectors prior, the dispatched failed to notify the crew. Like you had said this all started right after the Salem detector and by the time they got to the E. Palestine detector it was beginning to derail. They went into emergency before the engineer could react, and that’s all she wrote. This information comes directly from NS supervision at Conway yard, relayed to my my supervision.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RNe3QW3aHI
So it was basically human failure? That is, the dispatcher didn’t notify the train crew until too late?
The residents of E. Palestine, Ohio will end up owning the NS RR when this is over, as well they should.