(The Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier posted the following article by Jeff Reinitz on its website on June 13.)
JESUP, Iowa — A derailed train blocked a major detour route and caused authorities to evacuate two nearby farmhouse because of concerns over a chemical leak Wednesday afternoon.
No one was injured in the wreck, which happened at about 2 p.m. just north of the intersection of Dubuque and North Canfield roads in Black Hawk County. It smashed about eight cars of a westbound, two-mile long train and caused a tanker car, which was still on the tracks, to leak aminoethylethanolamine.
Canadian National/Illinois Central railroad officials are investigating the cause of the accident and couldn’t be reached for comment this morning.
But Black Hawk sheriff’s deputies said there had been speculation that there was a malfunction in one of the rail cars that caused the emergency brakes to activate. The heavier cars behind it then plowed into the stopped car because of the momentum.
Other boxcars appeared to have come uncoupled ahead of the wreck but remained on the tracks.
The derailed boxcars clipped railroad communication lines that were on poles to the south of the tracks.
About 10 gallons of aminoethylethanolamine seeped from the tanker car, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources inspectors were notified, according to reports from the Waterloo’s Hazardous Materials Team, which responded to the accident.
The corrosive chemical is used to make lubricant oil additives, fuel additives and fabric softeners and other products.
Firefighters in protective suits sealed the leak with an epoxy solution, and the chemical was loaded into tanker trucks that were sent down from Minnesota.
The boxcar pileup was about a quarter mile west of the crossing at Canfield Road. Halted cars blocked travel on Canfield until 7 a.m. today.
The stretch of road had been part of a detour for construction work on South Elk Run Road, so county crews had to reroute traffic again, this time down Nesbit Road.
Throughout the afternoon and into the night Wednesday, deputies had problems with motorists trying to cross into the blocked off area, and road crews eventually sealed off the street with a snow fence barricade.