(The following story appeared on the Baltimore Sun website on November 10.)
BALTIMORE — A freight train carrying coal derailed in Sykesville yesterday morning, blocking Main Street for several hours.
No one was injured in the incident, and representatives from CSX, which owns both the train and the track, were trying to determine yesterday why more than 20 cars left the track about 7:30 a.m., said CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan.
Sullivan said the train included two locomotives and 143 cars and was traveling from Cumberland to Curtis Bay. The affected cars had passed the Main Street crossing before derailing, he said. Workers cleared the portion of the train that blocked the road by 11 a.m.
Although some coal might have spilled, Sullivan said there was no hazard to the public.
Sullivan said the cleanup will include rebuilding the portion of the track that was damaged. The track, which is used by freight trains but not by passenger trains, should be open this morning, he said.