(The following story by John Quinlan and Tim Gallagher appeared on the Sioux City Journal website on December 5.)
SIOUX CITY — Rail and car traffic along the Hoeven Corridor was temporarily disrupted Monday afternoon when a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway switch engine and five rail cars from two separate trains were derailed near 17th Street and U.S. Highway 75 North, in front of a grain elevator and across the street from the Metz Baking Co.
The 30-minute-plus wait by motorists along Sixth Street was no big deal to some motorists. But the derailment was a major headache for the railroad.
No injuries were reported, said Steve Forsberg, regional media spokesman for BNSF from Kansas City.
The switch engine’s fuel tank had a rupture that allowed an estimated 150 to 200 gallons of fuel to leak. “They’re pumping the rest of the fuel out of the ruptured tank so that more does not spill,” Forsberg said.
“A switeh engine was moving some cars on a side track at the elevator and there was a train from Minneapolis to Kansas City, Kan., on the main track,” he said. “Why the derailment occurred is something still under investigation.”
Forsberg said he couldn’t estimate when the main track will reopen.
“We’ve got equipment and people en route, and they’ll have to assess the track damage and make repairs as necessary,” he said, noting that the frozen ground and cold weather always makes such repair work more challenging.
Only one rail car, apparently hauling a load of lumber, overturned. The wheels of the switch engine and the other four cars went off the tracks but the cars remained upright. The derailed cars included two from the rear of the Kansas City-bound train on the main track and three cars from the switch train.
While the derailment created some minor traffic congestion, at least three drivers said they weren’t that upset with the delay.
John Kollars, an employee with High Tech Electric, approached the railroad crossing near Sixth Street and Lewis Boulevard at 2:50 p.m. He was still there at 3:30 p.m.
“It happens all the time,” said Kollars, who travels daily between high-traffic rail lines in Sioux City. “I’m not mad about it. Guess I’m used to it.”
Kollars finally proceeded at 3:38 p.m., nearly 50 minutes after stopping.
Ernesto Mercado pulled up about 3 p.m. on Sixth Street and stopped for the train. Mercado was heading to Western Iowa Tech Community College with a load of concrete from Standard Ready Mix.
“I’m not upset about this,” said Mercado, who used his radio to call back to his office for additional instruction. “There’s nothing the railroad workers can do about this. It isn’t their fault.”
Mercado wasn’t sure his load, however, could be used unless he arrived on the campus construction site on time. The load, he said, might be wasted if he sat at the railroad crossing much longer.
Sherry Murphy, driver of Sioux City bus route No. 21, sat for nearly 40 minutes in an empty bus. She waited as the train sat and listened to other drivers make alternative plans for their riders. “A couple of buses are still on routes, but I’m not,” she said. “They’ll have to wait and catch up. I’m just going back to the garage.”