Removal of tank cars from site of BNSF derailment, fire to begin
After the Washington Department of Ecology spent the weekend emptying any remaining oil, removal of the tank cars involved in last week’s derailment and fire of a BNSF oil train in Custer, Wash., is scheduled to begin today, KING-TV reports. Multiple agencies continue their investigation into the cause.
UP train derails in Iowa after apparent bridge collapse
Twenty to 25 cars of a Union Pacific train derailed in Polk County, Iowa, on Christmas morning, apparently because of a bridge collapse. The Des Moines Register reports that UP reported the incident to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office at 5:30 a.m. Friday; three streets near the incident were closed for more than 10 hours as a result. KHOU-TV reports two cars of octane were leaking after the derailment, bringing hazardous-material teams to the site to contain the leak. Several fire departments also responded to the derailment of the three-locomotive, 108-car train. No injuries have been reported.
Landslide stops operations through Hoosac Tunnel
Pan Am Southern operations were disrupted during the weekend after a landslide just outside the Hoosac Tunnel’s west portal. The Berkshire Eagle reports that Pan Am Railways reported the slide was discovered at 8:45 a.m. during a routine track inspection; the newspaper reports the slide was about 200 yards from the tunnel portal and covered the track with about 8 inches of mud and debris. The route was reportedly back in operation on Sunday. The slide comes about 10 months after a partial collapse closed the tunnel for weeks [see “Hoosac Tunnel experiences partial wall collapse …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 12, 2020; “News Wire Digest second section …,” Monday April 6, 2020].
