COAL TRAIN DERAILS, SPILLS CONTENTS IN YORK COUNTY, NEBRASKA
October 20,
2014
WACO, NEBRASKA
—
It’s still
not clear as to what caused the derailment of 28 train cars loaded with coal in
Waco early Sunday. The aftermath, however, was astounding as the heavy cars and
their contents appeared to have been thrown about like toys near the Central
Valley elevator facility.
Each car
carries about 120 tons of coal.
The mangled
train cars were twisted into each other, some thrown on top of others, some
turned on their sides.
The
derailment was near the main crossing in Waco and extended to the east, on the
southern edge of the elevator property.
Andy
Williams, a spokesman for BNSF, said the train was headed east around 3 a.m.
Sunday when 28 of its 119 cars derailed, spilling coal and blocking both sets
of tracks.
Waco’s Main
Street was closed after the derailment.
BNSF crews
and contractors with heavy equipment spent Sunday moving cars, scooping up coal
and fixing part of the tracks. The effort extended through Monday.
The train
cars did not hit the elevator or any nearby structures, and no one was injured.
Some Waco
residents said it was fortunate that it happened during the night, as this is
typically a very busy area in town. The crossing is consistently active, as it
is the only one in the village. It is also on the main road leading from town
to Highway 34. Main Street is only yards away.