(The following article by Stanley Donaldson was posted on the Contra Costa Times website on September 1.)
PINOLE, Calif. — A tanker truck spilled diesel fuel onto railroad tracks in this morning, disrupting service for more than a dozen trains.
The driver drove the tanker to a deadend road east of Tennant Avenue near Pinole Creek, and attempted to turn it around by backing onto a railroad bridge, said Union Pacific Railroad Company spokesman John Bromley.
The truck tipped over onto the tracks, and fuel leaked from the damaged tanker, Bromley said. He said the driver was not injured, but police gave him two traffic tickets.
The tracks were cleaned and railroad service was restored by 9:30 a.m. The track is the main line between Oakland and Sacramento, Bromley said.