(Bloomberg News circulated the following story by Noah Buhayar on August 4, 2010.)
MELROSE, Iowa — Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. said a coal train with 119 loaded cars derailed at Melrose, Iowa, and is causing delays.
The train was heading from Wyoming to Chicago yesterday on one of the company’s main coal routes to the Midwest when 29 cars derailed at milepost 318, according to Amy McBeth, a company spokeswoman.
“More than two dozen trains may be delayed by 24 to 36 hours,” she said in an e-mail today.
The derailed cars toppled onto their sides, said Dan Johnson, the sheriff of Monroe County, where Melrose is located.
About 4,150 tons of coal spilled, according to McBeth. She estimated that the tracks would be returned to service at 7 p.m. local time and coal cleanup will take several days.