(The following story by Jason Probst appeared on the Press-Tribune website on December 17.)
ROSEVILLE, Calif. — A Union Pacific train heading into Roseville derailed near Thunder Valley Casino Tuesday at 8:06 a.m., halting traffic as response teams worked to secure the site and deal with potential hazards of the incident.
The 86-car train, inbound to Roseville from Portland, derailed at Industrial and Athens avenues, spilling 28 cars off the tracks.
The cars were carrying lumber and plastic pellets, plus an empty container that had previously contained chemicals, said Mark Davis, Union Pacific spokesman. No one was injured in the accident.
Response teams from the railroad, city, county and regional agencies worked to secure the area while addressing hazards of a minor chemical leak from one vessel, and checking underground gas pipes for potential damage.
Jim Farmer of Roseville Union Pacific says 50 personnel were on site as well as 15 pieces of heavy equipment.
“We?ve got both private contractors and UP employees on site right now,” Farmer said.
Crews removed the 58 cars that remained on the track from the site. They were using heavy equipment movers to remove the derailed vessels. Cleanup should be finished today by noon, Farmer said.
Personnel from Union Pacific, California Highway Patrol, county sheriff and fire and Roseville fire responded to secure the area, redirect traffic and initiate cleanup processes.
For safety precautions, vehicles were diverted away from Industrial avenue going south of Athens (see map), except for those working in businesses and response personnel.
“If you mix benzene chloride with water, the vapor can be an inhalation problem,” said Larry Blevins, CHP spokesman. “It?s also flammable. The container carrying the material was ruptured and apparently was under some pressure. It was leaking out, but eventually the pressure stabilized and there was no more leak.”
A common risk with train derailments are underground fuel lines that can be punctured when cars derail.
“There is a high pressure fuel line running parallel to the tracks,” Blevins said.
Personnel were working to detect existing fuel leaks, which can be highly flammable if punctured. No leaks have been reported, according to railroad and county sources.
Davis said Union Pacific said that replacement of the 500-foot section of track damaged in the incident will commence immediately after site cleanup. It should be finished by tonight.
“It won?t take that long,” Davis said. “The track comes in 40 foot sections, and they bolt them together pretty easily.”
Farmer said cause for the crash is not known at this time and is under investigation.
“We?re looking at all the cars and the track structure, we?ll interview the crews involved,” Farmer said.
Traffic diversion is expected to continue until the cleanup is finished and the tracks are replaced.
The remote area, which is populated by light industrial businesses, is the commonly used route to access Thunder Valley Casino. Patrons of the casino are being directed to take Blue Oaks Boulevard to Fiddyment Road as an alternate route.