UP, CSX trains derail

 The weekend was not good for freight train safety.

   A Union Pacific train derailed on a key trans-continental line in Nevada on Saturday and two CSX trains were involved in accidents, according to reports from the Associated Press.

   The UP train derailed in a tunnel about 260 miles east of Reno, but the accident will not disrupt service because the railroad has determined a parallel line can be used to get trains through the area. Switching from double to single-track operations in that section should only cause minor delays for shipments, a spokesman for the company said. The line connects through Nevada connects Oakland, Calif., and Salt Lake City.

   The train was hauling corn when 15 of its 99 cars jumped the tracks along the Humboldt River. Several cars fell into the river and others remained in the tunnel.

   A couple of hours after the derailment a 102-year-old rail bridge spanning the river collapsed. The company said it was assessing how long it would take to replace the bridge.

   The Idaho Statesman reported that one UP locomotive and two rail cars derailed in a separate incident in Idaho.

   Across the country in Washington, D.C., three cars of a CSX coal train left the track as the train backed into a rail yard on Friday night. No injuries or cargo spills were reported.

   A CSX train collided with a pick up truck in Upper Marlboro, Md., on Saturday. The train apparently struck the bed of the truck as it crossed or was stopped on the track. The driver apparently suffered a medical emergency prior to the accident and did not have injuries from the strike itself. 

Source: American Shipper