(The following appeared on the New Hampshire Union Leader website on February 11, 2011.)
CONCORD, N.H. — The locomotive that overturned Wednesday was moving little more than 5 mph when ice and hard-packed snow forced the wheels off the rails, toppling the 130-ton behemoth.
Peter Dearness, the owner of New England Southern Rail, blamed the ice buildup on snowmobilers who run on railroad tracks, compacting snow and ice. The errant riders disregard state law, warning signs and advice from snowmobile clubs.
The Federal Railroad Administration has started an investigation, Dearness said. The FRA’s preliminary assessment attributes the wreck to ice-and-snow buildup on the tracks due to heavy use by snowmobiles.
The full story appears at www.unionleader.com.