(The following article by Peter Reuell was posted on the Metro West Daily News website on December 23.)
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — A derailed train snarled commuter traffic in downtown Framingham yesterday as crews worked to right nearly a dozen tanker cars and boxcars.
According to officials from CSX Corporation, the derailment occurred just before 11:30 Sunday night as the train left the Framingham switching yard. Only two employees, an engineer and a conductor, were on the train at the time, and neither was injured.
Early television reports yesterday said the cars were hauling “technical animal fat,” but company officials said the derailed boxcars carried plywood, pulp board, plastic and sand.
Although the accident occurred Sunday night, it wasn’t until Monday morning that crews were able to start getting the cars back on track.
The cause of the accident was not immediately available. Officials yesterday said an investigation is under way, but it could take months to complete.
Like jetliners, trains are fitted with “black boxes,” which record speed and other factors, CSX spokesman Adam Hollingsworth said. That information is being reviewed.
“That contains lots of diagnostic information,” Hollingsworth explained.
As for the investigation, “it can take up to several months,” he said. “In some cases, it can take a couple years. It depends on the severity of the derailment.”
To remove a handful of cars, officials called in a crane, but in at least one case workers were able to use jacks and wooden blocks to wrench it back on the rails.
Using dozens of wood blocks, crews inched the car off the ground and forward until its right wheels were in place. A steel device — called a “re-railer” — was then slapped in place, pushing the left side onto the track.
In all, the procedure took between 20 and 30 minutes, during which time police closed the downtown Framingham rail crossing.
The work slowed traffic through downtown, but police were able to detour traffic around the accident, leading to minimal delays.
Similarly, commuters on MBTA trains were delayed, but not dramatically, officials said.
The scene of the accident was largely cleared by last night, officials said, and CSX officials were inspecting the cars for damage.
“If they can be repaired and put back in rail operation, they will be,” Hollingsworth said. “A mechanical officer will inspect each car and determine whether it can be returned to the fleet. If not, it will be scrapped.”