(The following story by Lauren Donovan appeared on the Bismarck Tribune website on November 1.)
BEULAH, N.D. — A railroad trestle bridge that was damaged by fire last week will be repaired, and coal deliveries should resume within a month.
A BNSF Railway locomotive sparked four fires south of Beulah Oct. 25, and dry, windy conditions caused the fire to spread near Highway 49 and toward the Coyote power plant and the plant’s coal stockpile.
One of the fires damaged a trestle bridge on a spur line that leads from the plant and the Dakota Westmoreland Coal Mine down to the BNSF branch line running through Beulah.
The smoldering trestle was immediately taken out of service, while mine and railway engineers determined the amount of damage.
Mine manager Bill Weaver said the entire south abutment of the trestle will be replaced with steel pilings,. and some of the bridge span carrying the tracks over the Knife River also may have to be replaced. The north bridge abutment was not damaged.
The work is expected to cost $450,000. He said BNSF will pay for bridge repairs, while the railroad and the coal mine continue to negotiate over whether the railroad also will pay for lost revenue from outside coal sales.
Dakota Westmoreland can continue to supply coal to the Coyote plant in what’s called “”mine mouth” fashion, but not to the Heskett Station at Mandan, which depends on the railroad for delivery of about 500,000 tons a year.
Heskett, in the meantime, is getting coal from the Coteau Freedom Mine north of Beulah, which has access to the BNSF branch line.
Weaver said the temporary loss of coal sales won’t affect the coal miners’ schedule by much, canceling only holidays and any open shifts until the trestle reopens.