based on similar story?

I think you're talking about the CSX runaway here in Ohio back in 2001. A train crew in Toledo was switching a long cut of cars. The engineer was alone in the cab while the conductor and a brakeman were out on the ground. As the engineer was pulling forward in the yard, he noticed a switch up ahead not lined properly. He didn't believe he would be able to stop in time, hit the locomotive's brakes (which rendered the deadman's pedal ineffective), and hit the train brakes (which were useless since the cars' air hoses were uncoupled due to switching in the yard). He then went to apply the dynamic brakes but in error hit the throttle wide open. He then got down off the locomotive, aligned the switch, and then realized the train was accelerating. He tried to get back on but couldn't. At that point, the train accelerated out of town. The CSX dispatcher then had a crew on a freight train going the other way go into a siding. After the runaway passed them, they uncoupled their locomotive (which was the same type as the runaway's), pulled out onto the mainline, and then reversed to chase the runaway. They then coupled onto the rear of the train and hit their brakes, slowing the runaway so that at a railroad crossing, another CSX employee was able to get on the runaway's locomotive and shut it down.