(The Associated Press circulated the following article on July 3.)
HELENA, Mont. — Eight empty cars in a Montana Rail Link train derailed west of Helena, with half of them falling off a trestle onto the ground below.
The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Department estimates the trestle is at least 150 feet above the ground.
Rail Link spokeswoman Lynda Frost says Sunday’s derailment closed the tracks for about 12 hours.
She says no one was hurt, and the railroad is investigating what caused the derailment.
A train traveling from Laurel to Spokane derailed in the Mullan Pass area, 19 miles west of Helena.
Frost says two of the eight cars were removed yesterday, and the rest will be removed on Wednesday.