Wednesday, June 3, 2015

TRAIN DERAILS NEAR SMYER; NO INJURIES REPORTED, 6 RAIL CARS FULL OF CORN LEFT THE TRACKS. “DERAILMENTS ARE ACTUALLY PRETTY COMMON ON RAILROADS,” “IT’S JUST THE NATURE OF THE BEAST WHEN YOU’RE WITH THE RAILROAD.”






JUNE 3, 2015

SMYER, TEXAS

Six cars full of corn headed for the Diamond Ethanol plant in Levelland were derailed outside of Smyer just before 10 p.m. Monday.

The Hockley County Sheriff’s Office said there were no injuries reported in the derailment.

On Tuesday, workers were busy trying to get the railroad repaired, a process that Dusty Young of Permian Basin Railways said will probably take 48 hours.

The six cars were near the end of the train, he said. Cars near the front of the train that had already passed through the area where the train derailed were able to continue on to the ethanol plant.

Other cars behind the derailed cars were pulled farther back from the derailment at the intersection with Lovebird Road.

Young said the entire load was full of corn bound for the ethanol plant. He said a similar load of corn goes through about once a month. 

“Derailments are extremely likely after we’ve had this much rain. It’s pretty common. Our infrastructure is not built for 15, 16 inches of rain at one time,” he said. 

Young said Permian Basin Railways has been lucky after the weather in the area.

“Derailments are actually pretty common on railroads,” he said, noting that usually it’s just one or two cars. “It’s just the nature of the beast when you’re with the railroad.”

Overall, he said railroad transportation is pretty safe, and companies have plans in place in the event that a hazardous spill happens.

There was no hazardous material involved with the spill of corn coming from some of the six cars derailed on Monday.

“There’ll be a lot of full birds out there, I can tell you that much,” Young said.

Source: http://lubbockonline.com