(The following story appeared on the Wellington Daily News website on May 27.)
ARGONIA, Kan. — Life is slowly returning to normal in Argonia, three days after an accident left the town littered with smashed rail cars.
An evacuation was ordered south of the tracks after three separate chemical leaks were confirmed.
“They’re still working on (the clean up),” said a woman who answered the phone at Argonia Town Hall, but refused to give her name. “The are still (rail) cars off to the south beside the tracks. We haven’t heard a cause of the accident and probably won’t. It’s not something I’m going to worry about.”
The accident was reported Sunday with the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe freighter crossed the Main Street intersection and for reasons yet known, left the tracks around 1:50 p.m. By 2:20 p.m., Sumner County Deputies and Argonia officials had the site secure and found the chemical leaks. The Hazmat unit from the Wellington Fire Department was dispatched to the scene to identify and secure the spills.
The train was headed from Chicago to Los Angeles.
Terry Cooley, of Wichita, was in Argonia visiting his girlfriend when the train derailed and was one of the first to examine the wreckage upclose.
“It sounded like a car crash,” he said. “There was a cloud of black smoke rising from the intersection.”
Those living next a block away from the derailment say they felt the ground shake. Cooley said he felt the train was going too fast coming through town.
“He was really laying on the horn when he flew through here,” he said.
In all, 30 cars toppled in the accident. Forsberg said there were 35 cars in the train. He said the seventh and the 14th cars jumped the tracks but remained upright while six others were on their sides. The cars were part of an intermodal train, which carries truck trailers and containers. The cars are about three times longer than normal rail cars, he said.
Once the call to evacuate came in, Argonia emergency personnel went door-to-door informing local residents. Because of the direction of the wind, all those living directing south of the tracks were notified.
Those evacuated were taken to the Argonia community center and a local church.
“They didn’t stay at the Community Center very long because it was hot and it wasn’t cool,” the woman at town hall said this morning. “We didn’t know we were going to use it. And most found other locations to go to with family or friends on the north side of the tracks.”
The accident also delayed commencement exercises at Argonia High School for the 14 graduating seniors.
The accident happened at almost the same location another train crash occurred two years ago.
On Feb. 7, 2002, at 6:30 a.m., a Chicago to Los Angeles BNSF freight train derailed, when 22 of 67 cars jumped the tracks.
Train traffic is reportedly back to normal this week along the rail where the accident happened Sunday.
About 530 people live in Argonia.On Sunday, the Harper County Sheriff’s Department assistant with traffic control at the scene.