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Some answers are beginning to emerge (via: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-0...brakes/4807576)

It has now been confirmed that earlier on the night of the deadly blast, firefighters were called to extinguish a blaze in the train's motor.

The train had been stopped at the neighbouring town of Nantes at the time.

Nantes fire chief Patrick Lambert told Reuters the crew switched off the engine as they extinguished a "good-sized" fire in the engine, probably caused by a fuel or oil line break in the engine.

Fire officials say they were following protocols.

But Ed Burkhardt, the chairman of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, says the engine had been left on by the train's engineer to maintain pressure in the air brakes.

He says as the pressure gradually "leaked off", the air brakes failed and the train began to slide downhill.

The train derailed 12 kilometres away in Lac-Megantic.

The we-said-they-said is well underway:

Mr Lambert says fire crews told a company dispatcher what they did at the time, but says there was no discussion of the brakes.

"We were there for the train fire. As for the inspection of the train after the fact, that was up to them," he said.

It is not immediately clear what the dispatcher did after speaking with the fire service.

Mr Burkhardt says the fire service should have also tried to contact the train's operator, who was staying at a nearby hotel.

"If the engine was shut off, someone should have made a report to the local railroad about that," he said.

This looks like a job for .... CAPTAIN HINDSIGHT!