(The following story by Ken McCall appeared on the Dayton Daily News website on August 23.)
TIPP CITY, Ohio — A CSX train derailment shut down two railroad crossings and scattered eight freight cars bearing new automobiles along the tracks just north of downtown early Saturday morning, Aug. 23.
Tipp City police and firefighters were called to the derailment at 7:30 a.m. While the train was pulling cars containing hazardous materials, none of them were affected by the accident, officials said.
Six of the freight cars were overturned and lying on their side along the tracks early Saturday afternoon with wheels and other equipment strewn along the tracks. One car was jammed into the car in front causing obvious damage and indicating the train had been moving at speed. Two other cars were jackknifed sideways, completely blocking the railroad right of way.
No one was hurt in the derailment, according to Tipp City officials said.
The derailment closed the crossings at Park Avenue and Crane Road for most of the day. At mid-day, CSX officials and workers from RJ Corman Derailment Services were working with heavy equipment to clear a path through a narrow strip of woods to the accident scene.
CSX officials at the site referred all questions to an office in Jacksonville, Fla., that did not return telephone calls.
Tipp City Fire Chief Steve Kessler confirmed that firefighters were called to the scene at 7:30 a.m. with an initial report of a hazardous materials spill. Although firefighters were quickly released from the scene because no spill occurred, Kessler said he decided to stay and monitor the situation.
Kessler, who grew up in Tipp City, said he could only recall two other minor single-car derailments.
“This is as big as we’ve ever had in this area,” the 63-year-old said.
Tipp City patrolman Greg Adkins said the railroad was working to move train cars to open the two crossings. He estimated, however, it will be several days before all the derailed train cars, which are in a wooded area between the two crossings, are cleaned up.
The new automobiles were still in the enclosed freight cars, but Adkins confirmed that many of them were damaged.
Adkins said the cause of the crash was under investigation, but that a CSX employee had said repairs were recently done on the tracks in that area.
Signs of that work was evident along the tracks north of Park Avenue. A long section of steel rail was discarded along the right of way and scores of steel plates used to anchor the rails were piled along the tracks.