(The following story appeared on the Knoxville News Sentinel website on March 23.)
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Railroad traffic resumed Saturday through Knoxville’s Old City as crews cleaned up a train derailment from the night before.
A Norfolk Southern train jumped the tracks around 7:15 p.m. Friday as it moved along rails parallel to Jackson Avenue.
It was hauling 105 empty cars at the time, railroad spokeswoman Susan Terpay said.
The lead engine separated from the rest of the train, and two other engines and two coal hopper cars were left tilted.
Two other cars came completely off the rails at an angle, with their wheel mechanisms partially stripped.
The derailment spilled about 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel, about 50 gallons of which made it into a storm drain, Knoxville Fire Department Capt. Brent Seymour said.
Hazardous-materials teams worked to contain the spill, which didn’t appear to cause any serious environmental damage, he said.
Norfolk Southern crews got the derailed cars back on the tracks Saturday morning and repaired the tracks, Terpay said.
The tracks had reopened by Saturday evening, she said.
“It had a minimal impact on our operations due to the availability of alternate routes,” she said.
The cause of the derailment remained under investigation Saturday night.