(The following story by Shelbia Brown appeared on the Spartanburg Herald Journal website on July 17.)
DUNCAN, S.C. — CSX Corp. is investigating what caused one of the transportation company’s freight trains to derail en route to Spartanburg Monday morning.
The derailment happened about 3 a.m., just off High Street in Duncan, and CSX employees at the scene said they learned of the incident about 6 a.m. The first 16 of 90 freight cars were involved in the derailment, including three locomotives; no one was injured. CSX officials are still unsure what forced the train from the tracks.
The train was carrying new, empty coal hoppers, which are used to transport coal, said Doug Bryson, Spartanburg County’s emergency management coordinator.
Bryson said the derailment did not result in a chemical spill, though emergency crews approached the scene with caution upon arrival.
“None of that occurred, but we didn’t know that until we did the assessment,” Bryson said.
Gary Sease, CSX spokesman, said the company is still evaluating the amount of damage the derailment caused.
Sease said the hoppers were being transported to Spartanburg, and eventually, to an Appalachian coal field. The railroad line, known as the Belton Division, runs through Spartanburg, Greenville and Pelzer and ends in Anderson.
“We’ll try to get that track back in service as quickly as possible,” Sease said.
CSX Corp., based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of the nation’s leading transportation companies, with more than 200 short-line railroads.
3 areas of concern
While investigating the cause of the derailment, Sease said the company will focus on three main areas: the quality of operation by the train crew; the condition of the track; and the mechanical condition of the cars and locomotives.
Marie High owns Happy Day Play School, which has a backyard that connects to the bank where the train derailed. One freight car jumped the track and rested on a fence that separates the train track from the playground.
High said the fence is the only thing she saw on her property that was affected by the derailment.
High said she was alerted about the incident at 6:30 Monday morning when she arrived to open the day-care center.
Tragedy averted
“It has been something unfortunate, but a situation that I hope will get cleared up real quick,” High said.
The day-care center serves children ages 2 through 12. Children were not allowed to play on the playground Monday because of the incident and the risk of potential danger. High said CSX officials gave her a number to call regarding compensation for her fence.
“Thank goodness no one was injured or hurt,” High said.