(The following article was posted on the IowaChannel.com on August 28.)
CALMAR, Iowa — Clean up is underway in northeast Iowa Thursday after a freight train derailment.
The accident, which happened about 6 a.m. near Calmar, involved an Iowa, Chicago and Eastern Railroad train.
Railroad spokesman Lynn Anderson said 12 cars hauling grain and two locomotives went off the tracks. Eleven cars tipped over, spilling the grain.
No one was hurt.
The Winneshiek County Sheriff’s office said one of the locomotives was leaking diesel fuel, but Anderson didn’t have that information in his report.
The derailment is at an intersection of a local road and U.S. Highway 52, about 10 miles south of Decorah. Officials said the local road would be closed indefinitely.
The eastbound train, with 68 cars, was headed from Mason City to Marquette.