(The Fresno Bee published the following article by Roya Aziz on July 11.)
FRESNO, Calif. — Fourteen freight train cars derailed Thursday afternoon, slowing traffic along nearby Highway 99 in southern Madera County.
There were no injuries, a Union Pacific railroad representative said. The freight cars — all empty — fell to the side of the track around 2 p.m., spreading large amounts of debris on either side of the track.
The cause of derailment is under investigation. The train, pulling about 20 cars, was heading south en route to Mojave to pick up a load of cement.
Union Pacific wrecking supervisor John Maxwell said damages exceed $100,000.
The track will be offline for at least 24 hours until a one-mile stretch of track is replaced, Maxwell said. “This will be easy to clean up since all the cars were empty,” he said.
Crews worked to clear train wheels, dozens of springs and other wreckage Thursday.
Maxwell said cranes would be brought in today to upright the cars so they can be moved to Fresno for repair.
The engine and standing cars left the scene just after 4:30 p.m.
California Highway Patrol officers waved by motorists who slowed to stare at the damage. By late afternoon, traffic was moving.
In 1983, a Southern Pacific Railroad freight train derailed in the same spot, causing a two-mile stretch of the highway to close after a gas line ruptured.
On Thursday, crews from Kinder Morgan Power Co. surveyed the area but found no damage to gas pipelines. A representative said the company would continue to monitor the area until the train cars are cleared.
Two long-distance telephone companies also arrived to check on fiber-optic lines that run along the side of the track. Those lines also were not damaged.