Category Archives: Evacuation

Broken rail, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Evacuation, Oil spill, Rail defect, Rail flaw detector cars

Broken Rail Caused Oil Train Derailment in Wisconsin

Repost from the New York Times

CP: Broken Rail Caused Oil Train Derailment in Wisconsin

By The Associated Press, November 11, 2015, 9:33 P.M. E.S.T.
Workers tend to the scene of a train derailment in Watertown, Wis., on Nov. 9 after 13 cars of a Canadian Pacific train carrying crude oil overturned Sunday. (John Hart/AP)
Workers tend to the scene of a train derailment in Watertown, Wis., on Nov. 9 after 13 cars of a Canadian Pacific train carrying crude oil overturned Sunday. (John Hart/AP)

WATERTOWN, Wis. — Canadian Pacific Railway says a broken rail caused an oil train derailment in southeastern Wisconsin last weekend.

The railroad said Wednesday the defect was not visible to the naked eye.

More than a dozen cars of a CP train loaded with crude oil jumped the tracks in Watertown on Sunday afternoon, puncturing one car that spilled hundreds of gallons of its load and caused the evacuation of a neighborhood.

The railroad says it uses rail flaw detector cars that use ultrasonic technology to detect defects the eye cannot see. The technology last passed over the site in late September, and nothing was found.

The derailment happened a day after a BNSF Railway freight train derailed Saturday near Alma in western Wisconsin, spilling ethanol into the Mississippi River.

Crude By Rail, Derailment, Evacuation, Oil spill

LATEST DERAILMENT: Watertown derailment – Bakken oil train crash is 2nd in Wisconsin in 2 days

Repost from RT News
[Editor: See also WKOW ABC27, updates and photos.  Also WKOW ABC27, 100-car unit train, same tracks used by Amtrak.  Also Associated Press, for latest updates.  Also WISN TV: “Watertown residents allowed to return home after derailment.  Train was carrying Bakken crude oil.”  – RS]

Evacuation, leak reported as 25-car train with crude oil derails in Watertown, Wisconsin

9 Nov, 2015 00:29
A Canadian Pacific train loaded with oil tank cars. © Ernest Scheyder
A Canadian Pacific train loaded with oil tank cars. Ernest Scheyder

A potentially large oil leak is reported at the scene of a Canadian Pacific train crash in Watertown, Wisconsin. At least 10 carriages derailed at the spot where track repairs had recently been made. The situation alarmed people living in the “blast zone.”

Canadian Pacific confirmed to local media that the train had derailed. A spokesperson for the railroad, Andy Cummings, told 27 News that at least 10 cars carrying crude had derailed around 2 pm local time, adding that some of the oil was leaking.

UPDATE: 35 homes evacuated in Watertown as crews investigate train derailment #news3 http://bit.ly/1GRCazh

“Canadian Pacific is taking this incident extremely seriously,” Cummings said. “We have officials enroute to respond to the incident scene to coordinate with local officials.”

At least thirty-five Watertown residents have been evacuated from the area, Watertown officials said.

Embedded image permalink
Another view from News Chopper 12 – #Watertown train derailment.

Nearby Dodge County and Jefferson County emergency crews are helping out the Watertown Police Department at the scene.

Canadian Pacific officials were conducting repairs in the same area the derailment occurred just several days ago, according to activist Sarah Zarling from the Citizens Acting for Rail Safety (CARS) group in Watertown.

“Just had the alarming recall that this derailment happened right where Canadian Pacific crews had been working just days ago. These were pictures I took of them working in the No Trespassing Canadian Pacific property area,” the activist posted on the group’s page.

“I live less than a block from the tracks in a blast zone, and let me tell you it’s not too comforting knowing you’re living in a blast zone. You never know when or where a derailment will happen. I don’t want to be one of those 47 people who blow up and die,” Zarling told FOX6 News.

There are currently no fires or injuries being reported. Canadian Pacific said it has dispatched teams to the site.

This is the second freight train derailment in two days in the Midwestern state of Wisconsin.

Less than 24 hours ago, a freight train derailed near Alma, Wisconsin, spilling thousands of gallons of ethanol.

Derailment, Ethanol, Evacuation, Rivers, Spill, Water contamination

LATEST DERAILMENT: Train derails near Alma, Wis., spills ethanol into Mississippi River

Repost from KMSP Fox9, Minneapolis-St. Paul MN
[Update: WISC-TV, Madison, WI, 11/08/15, 08:24:13 AM CST.  Latest updates – Associated Press, as of Nov. 9, 2015 4:54 PM EST.  – RS]

Tanker train derails near Alma, Wis. along Mississippi River

Nov 07 2015 04:44PM CST
Ethanol train derailment, Alma, Wisconsin, 07 Nov. 2015

ALMA, Wis. (KMSP) – A large Burlington Northern tanker train derailed along the Mississippi River approximately two miles north of Alma, Wis. on Saturday morning, prompting several road closures and a temporary voluntary evacuation of the area.

The train was traveling southbound along the Mississippi River when it derailed around 8:50 a.m., according to a division of the Wisconsin Emergency Management team. At least 25 cars went off the tracks, including empty auto racks and tanker cars of denatured alcohol, commonly known as ethanol. Aerial footage of the site shows two of the 25 derailed cars in the water.

Five of the cars released have released ethanol into the river, BNSF Railway said in a statement. No fire, smoke or injuries occurred.

Parts of Highway 37 and 35 were temporarily closed due to the incident, but all roads are now back open. The residents in the affected area who voluntarily evacuated have returned to their homes.

Emergency crews are working with BNSF and the La Crosse hazmat regional team to evaluate the derailment. The Federal Railroad Administration is also investigating the incident.

Severson said there is no danger to the public.

“Everybody responded very quickly and it’s good as it can be. It’s gone very well,” Severson said.

At about 8:45 CST this morning a train carrying freight of all kinds derailed approximately two miles north of Alma, WI. Twenty five cars derailed, including empty auto racks and tanker cars of denatured alcohol, more commonly known as ethanol. There were no fires or injuries associated with the incident. A voluntary evacuation has been lifted and there is no threat to the public.  Five of the tanker cars of ethanol have had releases in the Mississippi River. BNSF personnel are working to address the leaks and contain the product. BNSF will work with the EPA and state agencies on the best plan for mitigation and remediation efforts.

We regret any inconvenience the voluntary evacuation may have caused residents. For those who incurred expenses while temporarily evacuated earlier today, BNSF’s Claims Department can be reached at 763-782-3354.

Bakken Crude, Crude By Rail, Derailment, Evacuation, Explosion, Fire

North Dakota Town Moving Forward After Oil Train Derailment, Explosion

Repost from KFYR-TV, Bismarck, ND

Heimdal Residents Move Forward After Oil Train Derailments

By Megan Mitchell, Nov 03, 2015 9:55 AM

Six months ago Heimdal, N.D., made headlines for a oil train derailments. The accident forced the evacuation of the entire town. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) continues to investigation the incident and is focusing on wheel fragments recovered at the scene.

No cause for the crash has been identified at this point.

The NTSB has sent the evidence the collected to a metallurgy testing lab in Washington, D.C. Metallurgists specialize in the physical and chemical behavior of metals. Their examination could take another year to complete. In the meantime, residents of Heimdal have returned to their homes and routines.

Sparky is an affectionate 9-year-old border collie cross. His friendly disposition is second only to the loyalty he has for his owners Arden and Linda Georgensen.

Arden Georgensen is a resident of Heimdal and says the dog never leaves his wife’s side.

“If I can’t find her in the yard I can find the dog. He’s always with her,” Arden said.

On May 6, 2015 neither Linda or Arden could find Sparky when they were forced to evacuate their home without their beloved dog.

“I saw this big plume I thought it was a tornado the way it looked because it was swirling,” Arden said.

An oil train derailed just half a mile from their farm, spewing 60,000 gallons of Bakken crude. That’s when firefighters came knocking.

“They said you need to get out right now ’cause if those tanks explode it’s hard to say what’ll happen out here,” Arden said.

It was a long night wondering whether Sparky would be there when they returned.

Linda went back the next morning and was overjoyed.

“It was a good feeling to see him laying there ’cause when we got home here he was by the door like usual,” Linda said.

Oil production in the Bakken has drastically declined, but tanker trains continue to roll through Heimdal every day. Despite what happened there, residents say they’re not overly concerned when they hear an engine whistle sound.

Curt Benson saw the oil train derail and was the first person to contact emergency management.

“It’s still a concern, but yeah, if you’re only getting five trains a day instead of 20 trains a day sure it’s a little less of a concern,” Benson said.

Other residents aren’t sidetracked by worry.

“You just have that risk. There’s a certain amount of risk just being alive,” Bill Ongstad said.

BNSF is still cleaning up the site, but it appears the landscape around Heimdal is almost restored.

“I have to say they did a pretty bang up job. I think seeing all of them come out here with all the equipment and the time they put in, it certainly makes you feel confident that they probably did a good job,” Benson said.

The 22 residents of Heimdal and Sparky are living in the moment and moving on.

The NTSB said the wheel fragments from the accident were sent to those metallurgy labs two and a half weeks ago.

The agency says they look at everything associated with this accident and no conclusions have been drawn.

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