(The following story by Vickie Welborn appeared on the Shreveport Times website on June 24.)
ADA, La. — A Kansas City Southern rail line in the Bienville Parish community of Ada should be operational sometime today following overnight repairs related to Monday afternoon’s derailment and fire.
Six double-decker freight cars, two single freight cars and two locomotives derailed after the KCS train struck a loaded log truck that pulled into its path at the intersection of Black Lake Road at U.S. Highway 80.
The two single cars came to rest in a diesel shop at a Weyerhaeuser sawmill. The cars ignited and also caught the shop on fire.
Employees at the sawmill escaped unharmed. No injuries were reported in the train-truck crash.
The burning cars did not contain explosive or hazardous materials, Bienville Parish Sheriff John Ballance said.
North Bienville Fire District, Bienville Fire District No. 4 & 5 and Bienville Fire District No. 6, Bienville sheriff’s deputies and state police responded and were on the scene throughout the day Monday.
R.J. Corman, a railroad construction company under contract with KCS, already was on site Monday afternoon making repairs to the damaged lines. The company also had the equipment necessary to upright the toppled cars.
One of the two locomotives was on its side. The force of the impact caused many of the other rail cars to lose their wheels. Some were imbedded up to three feet into the ground.
While U.S. Highway 80 is re-opened to traffic, motorists may have to make a one-block detour at Still Road until the scene is completely cleaned.
On a scale of 1 to 10, the derailment rates about a 7, state police Troop G spokesman Trooper Doug Pierrelee said. “There have been about 10 collisions there in about 10 or so years. This one is probably the biggest in loss of rail cars.”
The log truck driver, Tracy Patton, 44, of Ruston, told state police he didn’t see the train. He crossed the intersection but his trailer load of logs was impacted by the train.
“They were blowing the horn for about a quarter-mile,” Pierrelee said. The train was traveling about 53 mph.
About 30 other rail cars were undamaged in the crash and were backed away from the site.
About a dozen trains a day utilize that rail line.