(The following article by Mark Agee was posted on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram website on March 11.)
ARLINGTON, Texas — An eastbound train slammed into two railcars that were overturned on a track in east Arlington Wednesday afternoon after a track-switching mishap, officials said.
A switching engine, which moves cars between tracks, accidentally knocked the two cars onto the main line about 4:40 p.m. at a switching yard near the General Motors Plant, Union Pacific Railroad spokesman John Bromley said.
An eastbound train on the main line did not have time to stop and collided with the two cars, Bromley said. “It didn’t derail that train, but it did damage the automobiles inside the two cars,” Bromley said.
No one was injured in the incident near Division Street and Stadium Drive, nor were any hazardous materials released, Fire Department Battalion Chief Neal Strasser said.
The stopped train did not block intersections or affect traffic.