(The Associated Press circulated the following article on April 19.)
SEATTLE — Ten cars from a Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train derailed early Monday north of this central Oregon town, a spokesman said.
Rail cars littered the tracks accordion-style after the derailment about 2:40 a.m. at Prineville Junction, railroad spokesman Gus Melonas of Seattle said. No hazardous materials were involved, nor was anyone injured.
The derailment appeared to be accidental but the cause remained under investigation, Melonas said.
Five of the derailed cars were carrying lumber, two contained maintenance materials and the other three were empty, he said. They were part of a 73-car freight train being hauled by four locomotives from Pasco, Wash., to Riverbank, Calif., near Modesto.
No Amtrak passenger trains were affected. Repair crews hoped to reopen the tracks by late Monday night, Melonas said.