(The following story appeared on the Rocky Mountain News website on June 12.)
DENVER — Cleanup operations from Monday night’s train derailment in Westminster continued Wednesday, while police look for suspects who put a tree stump on the tracks.
The tracks are cleared, but debris and some twisted and mangled railroad cars probably won’t be cleaned up from around the Burlington-Northern tracks east of Wadsworth Parkway for seven to 10 days, Westminster police investigator Trevor Materasso said.
When the Burlington Northern crew saw a big tree stump lying across the tracks, they tried to brake, but also thought the locomotive’s “cowcatcher” would knock the tree out of the way.
But part of the tree got caught in a switch on the tracks, so instead of pushing it aside, the locomotive ran over it, causing a chain reaction that led to the derailment of the 37-car train, said a spokesman for Burlington- Northern Santa Fe.
“A little guard in the front of the locomotive normally would have helped knock something out of the way,” spokesman Steve Forsberg said. “It was an unusual set of circumstances.”
The derailment caused extensive damage and left several cars twisted and mangled east of the track that parallels Wadsworth Parkway between West 92nd and 98th avenues.
Burlington-Northern is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever may have intentionally put the tree on the tracks, he said. It is distributing fliers in nearby neighborhoods, hoping to get the word out about the reward.
Tipsters are encouraged to call 1-800-832-5452 or CrimeStoppers at 720-913-STOP.
Westminster police and investigators from the railroad say there are indications the tree previously had been placed on the tracks and been removed.
Forsberg said he doesn’t know the girth and weight of the tree but was told it would have taken at least two or three people to pick it up and put it on the tracks.
There were three employees on the train, which was hauling grain, lumber and construction materials, Forsberg said.
One man suffered a minor injury, he said.