(The Associated Press circulated the following article on May 18.)
JAMESTOWN, N.D. — Cleanup was under way here Wednesday at the site where 12 cars carrying bentonite, a clay product, derailed over the weekend.
The derailment happened about 10:45 p.m. Saturday, at the west end of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway yard in Jamestown, closing two lines for a few hours, railroad officials said.
The train had a total of 83 cars, 72 of them loaded, BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas said. The train was carrying a number of products, including lumber, sugar, aluminum and coal, and was traveling from Laurel, Mont., to Galesburg, Ill., he said.
Melonas said no one was hurt in the incident, and the bentonite is not considered hazardous. He said five of the cars tipped on their sides while seven remained upright.
“There was a small amount of spillage. That is being cleaned up,” Melonas said Wednesday. “We are currently transferring product from the damaged cars into other rail cars.”
The railroad used an adjacent track, and traffic suffered no major disruptions, he said.
The cause of the derailment was under investigation.
“Seven of the cars will be scrapped and that process is under way. It will take roughly three weeks to remove all the debris from the area,” Melonas said.
The train was going slower than the 35 mph speed limit in the rail yard, Melonas said.