(The following article by Jonathan Vit was posted on the Gloucester County Times website on November 15.)
WEST DEPTFORD TWP., N.J. — Work will continue at the site of a four-car freight train derailment on Parkville Road until this afternoon, detouring morning traffic for a second day as Conrail crews repair the tracks damaged in Monday night’s accident.
By Tuesday afternoon about 90 feet of railroad track was pulled up, exposing black mud made soft by two days of rain. The cause of Monday night’s derailment, which sent four cars off the tracks, forcing one down across Parkville Road, is still unknown, Conrail officials explained.
“We have not completed our investigation as to what happened and why the cars derailed in the first place,” said Conrail spokesman John Enright. “These things depend on the circumstances (of the accident).”
The train was traveling on the Salem secondary running track toward Swedesboro when four cars derailed at 6:07 p.m. Monday night, blocking the intersection with a toppled freight car filled with lumber.
Three other cars were derailed in the accident, with cars two jarred to one side and another carrying soda ash tipped over.
It is unknown what caused the derailment, but Enright explained that the accident could have been caused by a number of scenarios, from operator error to a fault of the tracks.
“Derailments happen occasionally for sure, (but it is) not an everyday occurrence,” Enright said. “Sometimes for whatever reason the gauge of the rail widens and the train derails. These things happen, but fortunately, not that often.”
Railroad tracks are graded for speed by their construction, regulating the speed by which train conductors travel the railways, Enright explained. It is unknown what speed that portion of the Salem secondary track was graded for, but the grading depends on whether the tracks were welded together or not.
“Some track you can maintain certain speeds over,” he said. “Welded rail you can go faster then over non-welded rail, it depends. (The) Salem secondary running track, I don’t know what the speed down there is.”
An investigation of the incident should be completed by the end of the week, Enright explained. Conrail crews will continue working on the damaged rails until Wednesday afternoon.
“Everything has been detoured and moved along fine,” said West Deptford Police Chief Craig Mangano. “It will probably affect two more rush hours, (Tuesday) night and tomorrow.”
Motorists on their morning commute are urged to follow the detour around Parkville Road, using Jessup Road and Kings Highway, police said.