Train Derailment Topples 22 Railcars in Wellington, Ohio

[kellyhound]

CSX said in a statement that 22 cars and two locomotives derailed, and although there appears to have been some diesel fuel leaking, there were no hazardous materials on the cars, and no injuries.

With his home near railroad tracks in Wellington, Bryan Duta is familiar with the sound of trains.

But the one he heard about 6 a.m. Tuesday sounded off.

“After years of living near train tracks, you know what they’re supposed to sound like,” said Duta, who was outside his Wheeling Avenue house getting ready to leave for work when a CSX train derailed. “This one sounded different.”

Duta said he saw a wheel come off the third or fourth car of the train, which CSX said consisted of three locomotives, 89 loaded cars and 27 empty cars.

A total of 22 cars and two locomotives derailed and sparked a fire, forcing a closure of streets throughout the town and leading to a three- to four-day cleanup operation that already was underway later Tuesday.

Crystal Burns, who lives on Wheeling Avenue near Magyar Street, heard the train rolling by.

“I looked outside and saw wheels coming off the train,” she said. “Then I saw the pileup and sparks were flying.”

Firefighters worked to put out the fire, which they later said was contained, but they were on scene for most of the day.

Small puffs of smoke continued to be seen throughout the day, and Wellington officials put out a notice that the smoke, while bothersome, was not harmful.

As the firefighters tried to contain the fire, police were sectioning off roads and controlling traffic. State routes 18 and 58 were shut down for almost two hours, and other side roads closer to the accident were sealed off.

There also were early reports of a possible chemical leak, although investigators quickly determined it was nothing hazardous. Rather, it was diesel fuel that leaked into the ground and a little into the sewer system.

Wellington Assistant Fire Chief Bill Brown said city utilities are monitoring the sewer, but that it doesn’t pose any harm and that the diesel fuel is contained. The diesel came from cars that were carrying refrigerated produce.

Although hazardous materials were on the train, those cars were further back and were not impacted in the derailment.

Brown said no property was damaged, and the accident actually remained mostly within CSX’s property. Some debris did scatter into a few yards, but did not cause damage.

Wellington installed new warning signals two years ago, which can be used for both weather and non-weather emergencies.

Brown said the signals did not sound Tuesday morning because there was no immediate danger to residents.

“It seems like this was the best-case scenario of a bad situation,” said Hans Schneider, mayor of Wellington. “I’m just thankful that obviously things like this could be a lot worse, and I’m just really happy with the response from the village and that it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as it cold have been.”

As the day turned into a hot, muggy afternoon, the immediate priority became the clean up and how to move the overturned train cars off the track. Brown said moving one car would take about an hour.

About six dump trucks carried gravel to the accident. The gravel may be used to cover where they will dig out contaminated soil.

Curious residents gathered throughout the day to look at the wreckage and some stayed to watch the clean up. Police kept onlookers back from the point of the derailment.

Eight hours after the accident occurred, about 2 p.m., heavy equipment brought in after the accident began to remove cars from the scene. Workers hooked cables under a car and used heavy equipment to lift and carry the car off the tracks.

Crews moved the cars onto a grassy area next to the tracks.

The first car to move, which had to be lifted off its side first, came down quietly compared with the noise of the trucks around it.

At the other end of the train, near the front, crews lifted tracks from the railroad and onto the trailer. The tracks will be replaced before it re-opens.

Although there are two tracks on the railroad, the accident happened at an intersection of the tracks so both are closed while the cleanup is underway.

Ohio Highway Patrol will be the agency investigating the derailment.

The CSX media team said in a news release that its staff will be working to remove railcars through the night. It also said that they are rerouting trains that would pass through the area.

[phuckphace]

Son of a bitch!!! Doesn't this happen if you put a dime on the tracks? Asking for a friend.

[Aries85]

Watched a little documentary the other day on why America hasn't got high speed trains, they forgot to mention the fact they can't master slow one's yet