(The following article by Jerome Montes was posted on the Bridgeton News website on November 19.)
BRIDGETON, N.J. — Three derailed freight cars owned by Winchester & Western Railroad were placed back on track Tuesday, one week after they derailed.
The cars had been carrying about 100 tons of soy beans when they derailed at Chestnut and Dubois avenues, causing extensive damage to between 75 to 100 feet of rail. No one was injured in the accident.
Winchester & Western President Phil Light said a Pennsylvania contractor brought in several “sidewinder” bulldozers to lift the cars back on to an undamaged part of the railroad.
“These big machines just pick them up, bring them back to where the railroad is undamaged and put them back down,” Light said.
The specialized bulldozers enabled the contractor to put the cars back on tracks without dragging them across the ground, which would cause further damage.
Light said overall damage to the cars was minimal, and they will be used again in the future.
Light blamed the accident on a “soft part of the railroad” that will be replaced when repairs are made.
He said his company will take precautions to ensure no further derailments occur at the same spot, which is about 50 yards away from a house.
“We’re putting in additional (railroad) ties,” he said. “And we’re not putting loads down there in the future until all repairs are made.”
Light said he could not give an exact estimate on when the section of railroad would be repaired, although he did say it would be at least a week.
He said this particular rail line is most often used to store empty freight cars, many of which sit immobile for days or even weeks.
The convoy of freight cars that derailed seven days ago was an exception to the rule, according to Light.
“It’s a low priority,” Light said. “If business conditions warrant it, we’ll use the line to ship loads, and that will speed up repairs.”
Winchester & Western originally stated that four freight cars had derailed, but that number was revised to three soon after the accident.