Thursday midday rail news:
Decatur & Eastern Illinois conductor killed in switching accident
A Decatur & Eastern Illinois Railroad conductor was killed during a switching accident on the grounds of Cabot Corp.’s silica plant in Ficklin, Ill., on Wednesday morning. The Douglas County Sheriff was called to the scene at 9:44 a.m. Wednesday where officers found the victim. The Douglas County Coroner and officials with Watco, owner of the 126-mile short line, are investigating the accident. The victim’s name has not been released. Ficklin is an unincorporated area 4 miles west of Tuscola, Ill., and about 33 miles east of Decatur, Ill. — Steve Smedley
Flooding delays work on bridge repair at site of NS derailment
Minor flooding is delaying work to repair a bridge that collapsed at the site of a Norfolk Southern derailment near Roanoke, Va., on Oct. 30. The Roanoke Times reports that the work site at the Roanoke River on NS’s Whitethorne District line was under water as of Thursday morning, halting work that has been in progress since 22 cars of a train derailed and the bridge collapsed, sending some of the cars into the river [see “Digest: Department of Transportation announces expanded financing …,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 1, 2020]. Before the flooding occurred, the railroad had told the newspapers that it could take several weeks to return the line to operation.
