(The following story by Larry Kershner appeared on the Mt. Pleasant News
website on November 10.)
MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa — Mt. Pleasant resident Greg Watson reported this morning from the Amtrak depot station in Fort Madison that two freight trains had collided in the railroad yard, tearing up tracks, spewing diesel fuel for a mile and a half and delaying the Amtrak train, which had been halted a few miles outside of town.
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Attempts to reach the corporate office for Burlington Northern were unsuccessful.
Watson was in Fort Madison to board Amtrak for Chicago today. He said railroad crews were working getting two derailed cars off to the side and repairing torn-up tracks. Meanwhile, a haz-mat team from Fort Madison was working on the fuel spills. “They’re all doing a fantastic job down here,” Watson told the MP News. “If they really get the tracks cleared and the (Amtrak) train here in two hours I’ll be very impressed.”
Watson did not witness the collision. There were no reports of injuries.