(The following article by Kelly Nix was posted on the Californian website on November 20.)
AROMAS, Calif. — Workers install new track Wednesday at the site of a Union Pacific train derailment in Aromas. The train was carrying lumber and malt barley, some of which can be seen at left, spilling out of an overturned car. No one was injured, a Union Pacific spokesman said.
What’s next
Railroad officials will continue their investigation into Wednesday’s freight car derailment in Aromas.
A Union Pacific freight train carrying lumber and malt barley derailed in Aromas early Wednesday, creating a cluttered mess and forcing the cancelation of Amtrak train service.
Thirteen of the train’s 64 cars en route from Roseville to Los Angeles jumped the tracks about 12:30 a.m. Train cars tumbled on top of one another, tearing up track and scattering a load of barley on the north side of Aromas near Rogge Lane.
“All the damage was confined to the railroad,” said Union Pacific spokesman John Bromley, who said he expected the tracks to reopen by Wednesday night.
A Union Pacific engineer and conductor on the train were unhurt, Bromley said, and nearby homes and an elementary school were unaffected by the pileup.
But the accident did temporarily halt Amtrak’s Coast Starlight service, a train that carries about 1,200 passengers a day between Oakland and Los Angeles, said Amtrak spokeswoman Sarah Swain.
“When they (Union Pacific) have a problem, it’s a problem for us as well,” Swain said.
Amtrak passengers going to Los Angeles were offered bus transportation, while those from Los Angeles going farther north than San Luis Obispo also were provided bus service, she said.
Union Pacific crews worked all day to replace mangled track.
The cause of the wreck is under investigation, as is the extent of damage, Bromley said.
He said he couldn’t recall the last derailment in the Salinas area.
“There certainly hasn’t been anything in recent times,” he said.