(The Des Moines Register posted the following article by Abby Simons on its website on August 26.)
DES MOINES, Iowa — A train derailment stretching a mile across Des Moines’ east side held rush-hour commuters at a standstill Thursday.
Six cars in a 104-car Union Pacific train derailed about 3:35 p.m. in the company’s train yard on the city’s east side, causing intersections to be blocked for about a mile stretching from Hubbell to Dean avenues, Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis said.
No cars were toppled. Union Pacific engineers were able to unhook the derailed cars and move them from the blocked intersections at 5 p.m. Train traffic continued around the derailed cars, and the scene was expected to be cleared by midnight, Davis said.
There were no injuries in the derailment, and no hazardous materials were being carried on the train. The cause of the derailment remained under investigation, Davis said.
Truck driver John Alton of Des Moines was among the first to come upon the blockage at Hubbell Avenue. After learning what had happened from a Union Pacific engineer, he walked back among stopped traffic to inform drivers about the delay.
Alton said he was no stranger to delays in his job and didn’t mind the wait.
Also waiting were Frank and Kristi See of Mingo, who were headed downtown from their east-side jobs for dinner. They said they were thankful they didn’t have reservations and weren’t overly inconvenienced.
“Aren’t trains an inconvenience anytime?” Frank See said.
Coincidentally, a local bar on the west side of the blockage has an apt name: Stranded by the Tracks.