(The following story by Tarmo Hannula appeared on The Register-Pajaronian website on November 21.)
AROMAS, Calif. — Thirteen rail cars careened off the track just past midnight Tuesday in Aromas, leading to a major cleanup operation and road closures. While no injuries were reported, the widespread catastrophe, strewn along Union Pacific tracks from Carpenteria Road parallel to Aromas Road, kept work crews busy throughout the night, starting with the crash at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Thus far, no hazardous materials spills have been reported. The largest loss appeared to be four large rail cars that lost substantial amounts of malt barley. One worker estimated the total barley spill at 400,000 pounds. Several flatbed cars also lost bundles of milled lumber.
The magnitude of the crash drew loads of curious onlookers who lined up with cameras and video camcorders Wednesday. Rail cars were strewn about on their sides, heaped upside-down, with rails twisted around them like spilled spaghetti.
Jeff Bromley, director of public affairs for Union Pacific, said the 64-car train was traveling southbound from Roseville to Los Angeles. The cars that derailed were 20 cars from the end of the train. Bromley said work crews were hoping to have at least one track open by 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Known as the Main Coastal Line, the track, which carries both Amtrak passenger and freight trains, averages six trains a day.
“In one way, this is a dream come true,” said V.G. “Sleepy” Avant, a bonded auctioneer. “Maybe now they’ll take care of that intersection. We’ll finally get things done around here. This is better than Aromas Day.”
Some workers at the scene, who chose not to be identified, said the initial problem might have started much further up the line, closer to the Graniterock plant. Indeed, about a dozen workers in orange vests combed over several track switches close to the entrance to Graniterock, taking measurements, photos and jotting notes on clipboards.
Workers mainly scrambled Wednesday to clear the toppled cars and spilled debris from the tracks in order to begin a rail repair process. Two mammoth 583 sideboom tractors teamed up to muscle overturned cars off the tracks. At times, a massive loader would deliver the final push in freeing the tangled cars from one another. Firefighters from Aromas Tri-County stood by on the sidelines with dozens of Aromas folks watching the spectacle unfold. Scores of children from Aromas School pulled up chairs or sat on the grassy playground taking notes and drawing pictures of the scene.
“I’ve lived here most of my life – over 30 years – and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Tom Brumit, who visited the scene in a wheelchair. “We heard something late last night but just figured it was another crash or something. But when I came out this morning – now this is really something. The first thing I thought was, ‘Now they’ll have to do something with this horrible intersection.’ You practically have to stop to get around it or you’ll damage your car.”