Derailment

Latest derailment: Baton Rouge, LA – no injuries

Repost from Myarklamiss.com

Crews Begin Cleanup Work After Baton Rouge Train Derailment

08/01/2014
A train derailed in north Baton Rouge Friday, Aug. 1, 2014, near South Choctaw and West Dual streets. Six box cars near the center of the train overturned. Local HazMat crews, the state Department of Environmental Quality and Louisiana State Police were on scene. (Emily Lane, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

BATON ROUGE, LA (NBC33) – Seven cars from a train travelling along tracks near S. Choctaw and N. Sherwood Forest Drive in Baton Rouge, LA, derailed around 9:30 AM, Friday.

Investigators on the scene say they’ve found residue of Difulourmethane, a hazardous material, on the scene. They say they are still investigating what caused the cars to come off the tracks. Patrick Waldron, a spokesman for Canadian National Railway Company (CN) says and empty tank car was last last carrying Difulourmethane, but the car is currently empty.

Mark Miles with the Baton Rouge Fire Department says it will take up to six hours for crews to clean up the mess. BRFD has re-opened the intersection of North Sherwood Forest and Choctaw.

Patrick Waldron, a CN Spokesman, says seven cars on an Eastbound train derailed. The train was headed from Baton Rouge, LA, to Jackson, MS. There were no injuries reported, and there is no indication of any leaks at this time. Crews are on the scene to conduct a full investigation of the incidents leading up to the derailment. The train had just departed the CN train yard in Baton Rouge, LA. Of the seven train cars that derailed, one was empty, one car was carrying fiber board, three cars were carrying plastic pellets, and two cars were carrying lube oil. Some of the plastic pellets have come out onto the ground, but none of the oil has leaked out of the cars.

CN crews are beginning the cleanup process to get the car back upright and repair damage to the track. At this point, Waldron says it’s unclear how much damage was done. CN crews will be better able to assess the damage once they’ve righted the derailed cars and moved them out of the way.

This particular train track goes between Baton Rouge, LA, and Hammond, LA, and it is closed to other train traffic until the necessary repairs are made to the track. CN officials could not provide details on any delays this might be causing to other freight trains in the area