(The following story by Bernie Hornick appeared on The Tribune-Democrat website on January 14, 2009.)
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Five empty flatcars jumped the track at the Woodvale railyard Wednesday, the second derailment there within a year.
One of the flatcars bumped into the last of a string of stationary hopper cars on another track. Those cars broke through a chainlink fence overlooking a parking lot at Goodwill Industries in the 100 block of Maple Avenue.
No one was injured.
“Somebody saw it on their way to work and called it in,” said Assistant Fire Chief Joe Moehler.
Norfolk Southern Corp. spokesman Rudy Husband said the accident occurred at 7:55 a.m. The 124-car train was bound from Conway, outside Pittsburgh, to Reading.
The train company is investigating the cause of the accident.
Husband didn’t know when the derailed cars would be back on the tracks.
Husband said local authorities weren’t notified because it was a minor situation.
Moehler agreed: “If there were any safety issues, they would have called it in right away. I see no issues for public safety or the environment.”
On March 19, city firefighters had a gooey mess on their hands when corn syrup and soybean products spilled from eight cars, part of a derailment. That accident occurred on a spur off Maple between the Dellwood Street Bridge and the Maple Avenue Bridge.