(The following article by Tom Namako was posted n the Press of Atlantic City website on January 10.)
BUENA VISTA TOWNSHIP, N.J. –There were no foreseeable problems with the train tracks in Milmay that cracked and derailed four coal-carrying cars this weekend, Conrail officials said.
Spokesman John Enright said the tracks are visually evaluated every two weeks, and each year a test train rides over them for inspection purposes.
He said any mechanical failures must have occurred as the 75 rail cars slowly made their way toward Cape May County.
“Sometimes the cold weather can cause tracks to separate,” Enright said. “That was likely the problem in this instance.”
He said that 45 rail cars weighing more than 10,000 pounds each crossed the section of broken tracks before the four cars derailed.
“If it were a severe problem, the tracks would have given out immediately,” Enright said.
Buena Vista Mayor Chuck Chiarello said that the tracks were siding, which are mostly used by the coal cars.
“But in a pinch, the siding could also be used by the Cape May-Seashore line,” he said. The line is a 15-mile stretch for passenger cars between Richland and Tuckahoe.
The 600-foot stretch of damaged track would have to be replaced, Enright said. He added that the replacement could possibly be done as early as today.
“It’s a heavily used line for coal, and we’ll be paying attention to it in the near future,” he said.
Township officials said there will be further investigation into what happened to the tracks.
No one was injured in the derailing, which occurred late Friday night and caused major traffic blockages.
Enright said the tracks are owned and maintained by Conrail, while CSX employed the workers and cleanup crews.