(The following appeared on the Des Moines Register website on June 14, 2011.)
MENLO, Iowa — Railroad employees are watching track equipment closely after a switching mechanism was tampered with in west-central Iowa.
Early Sunday morning, an observant Iowa Interstate Railroad crew member on a westbound train spotted something that didn’t look right on a switch just west of Menlo.
The railroad worker contacted dispatchers. The switch, which was supposed to appear green, was showing a little red, said Mick Burkart, chief operating officer of the railroad.
That posed a danger for eastbound trains. A westbound train was stopped while railroad officials inspected the switch.
When it became apparent that someone had tampered with a switching mechanism, the Guthrie County sheriff’s office, state investigators and the FBI were contacted.
Full story: Des Moines Register