(The Associated Press circulated the following story on December 18.)
WATERTOWN, Wisc. — Old railroad track may have caused seven cars on a Union Pacific Railroad freight train to derail and spill hundreds of tons of barley.
The derailment occurred Wednesday less than a mile south of Watertown.
The train had 33 railcars, each hauling 120 tons of barley and grain from Clyman Junction to Jefferson Junction.
Three cars that derailed spilled their contents, but there was no damage to private property, officials said.
Watertown Fire Department Chief Henry Butts said there were no injuries or hazardous materials spills.
The derailment tore up hundreds of feet of railroad ties, steel rails, and earth, state Railroad Commissioner Rodney Kreunen said. He said the cause appeared to be track failure.
“This is a 90-pound rail, which was the standard around the 1930s. Today’s standard is 132 pounds,” he said. “This will be a $1 million spill by the time this is done.”