(The following story by James Osborne appeared on the Philadelphia Inquirer website on March 9, 2010.)
PHILADELPHIA — A 115-car cargo train derailed in Center City last night, with five cars leaving the tracks near 23d and Race Streets.
Battalion Fire Chief Mike Kane said there were no injuries and there was no evidence of leakage from any of the five cars. The derailed cars did not tip over.
Nearby apartment buildings were not evacuated. The derailment occurred about 10 p.m.
Fire and hazardous-materials crews were on the scene and waited for a representative from CSX, the operator of the freight train, but departed by 11:30 p.m.
Train traffic on the line was shut down.
The five cars were in the middle of the train and apparently failed to make the switch to a different track with the cars ahead of them, Kane said.
Some of the cars were marked as containing polyurethane. None of the cars was marked as carrying hazardous materials.
“They have to stop this,” said Barry Obod, who lives in a nearby apartment building. “This is a residential neighborhood. A cargo train shouldn’t be coming through here all the time.”