DUNSMUIR, Calif. — Fans of the upper Sacramento River, Union Pacific Railroad representatives, city, county and state officials and concerned citizens are all expected to gather in Dunsmuir for a Thursday night forum on railroad derailment safety, the Dunsmuir News reported.
The meeting to discuss railroad readiness, derailments and preventative planning begins at 6:30 p.m. at the River Exchange Center, 5819 Sacramento Ave. in Dunsmuir. The public is invited.
The UP representatives will provide updates on recent potentially disastrous derailments in the Sacramento River canyon. Those “close-call” derailments and public concern prompted the River Exchange — a nonprofit organization established in the wake of the disastrous 1991 Cantara Loop derailment and chemical spill — to hold the forum.
“My great concern and desire for this meeting,” said Bill Berry, a longtime landowner on the Sacramento River who was affected by the 1991 Cantara Loop spill, “is that the continuing far-too-frequent occurrence of derailments in the canyon have the potential to inflict another Cantara-like disaster on the river and our communities — and perhaps, via Shasta Lake, on the water supply system of the state.”
“In March 2000, two derailments occurred near LaMoine,” said Berry in a prepared statement. “One, on a train with sodium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide on board, caused seven cars to be dragged a long distance above the river before the crew became aware and took action.
“And in September 2002 there was an eight-car derailment and spectacular dump of lumber into the river below Gibson Road, near Pollard Flat. Also in 2002, an empty flatcar derailed north of Dunsmuir and was dragged at least two miles down the canyon and over a bridge, and another derailment was a boxcar on an uphill train at Cantara Loop. That boxcar was not discovered until the train reached the top of the canyon.
“For every news-making derailment, though, there are those that go unnoticed but have equal potential for grievous harm,” Berry said. Invited to the forum are all concerned citizens and organizations, the California Public Utilities Commission, the Federal Railroad Administration, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Cantara Trustee Council and California Department of Fish and Game representatives, Siskiyou and Shasta county officials, California Trout and the Federation of Fly Fishers.
The Railroad Derailment Safety Forum meeting outcomes will include: documentation of voiced community and “stakeholder” railroad safety concerns; a list of responsive actions taken by Union Pacific Railroad; and improved communication and notification between Union Pacific Railroad and local “at risk” communities.
Forum participants will hear information on existing and future railroad safety measures, review procedures for notice of railroad accidents or safety problems, provide input to Union Pacific Railroad regarding railroad safety concerns, and receive the most up-to-date information on derailments in the Upper Sacramento River Canyon.
“We’ve had very successful forums with Union Pacific Railroad in the past,” said Vince Cloward, Upper Sacramento River Exchange executive director. “We definitely need a tune up though, on how the railroad communicates with our local communities. Along with better communication, we need a clearer understanding and better implementation of safety measures for our river and for ourselves. We hope as many people as possible will attend the forum to express their concerns and help plan for a safer future.”
For more information, contact the River Exchange at 235-2012.