Wednesday morning rail news:
BNSF train in Texas derails, catches fire after hitting semi
A BNSF Railway derailed and caught fire after hitting a truck in Texas on Tuesday morning, leading to a spectacular blaze and triggering an evacuation of nearby residents. The train crew and truck driver escaped injury. The accident in Cameron, Texas, about 30 miles southeast of Temple and 60 miles northeast of Austin, led to the derailment of 13 of 110 cars. Ten — five of them carrying gasoline and five with non-hazardous materials — caught fire, the Waco Tribune-Herald reports. Another car in the consist was carrying phosphoric acid, but railroad workers were able to move that railcar before the fire reached it. Firefighters from four local fire departments responded to the incident, with BNSF sending crews from Houston and Dallas with heavy foam to extinguish the blaze.
Norfolk Southern intermodal train derails in Pennsylvania
Fifteen cars of a Norfolk Southern intermodal train derailed Monday night near Newport, Pa., leading to cancellation of Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian on Tuesday and halting freight traffic. PennLive.com reports the accident occurred about 6:30 p.m., with the railroad reporting the line was not expected to be reopened to traffic until Tuesday evening at the earliest. No injuries were reported. The cause is under investigation.
Rochelle, Ill., buys land for expansion of railroad
The City of Rochelle, Ill., has purchased 24 acres for future expansion of the City of Rochelle Railroad, the community-owned switching line which operates about 2½ miles of track. The Rochelle News-Leader reports the purchase will allow the railroad to be extended by about 1.25 miles, allowing almost 600 acres of undeveloped land to become accessible for rail-served industrial development. The city will purchase the land from the Greater Rochelle Economic Development Corp. for more than $452,000.
