(Television station KSFY posted the following story by Chris Studer on its website on June 13.)
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Crews are still working to open Highway Ten west of Britton in northeast South Dakota after a train derailed Wednesday night, blocking the road. The train bolted off the tracks around five Wednesday afternoon.
The Dakota, Missouri Valley and Western Railroad train had stopped in Claremont to load up with corn on its way to Hankinson, North Dakota, but the tracks gave way and sent the train off course. Thursday crews emptied the corn that was in the cars. They hold about 100-thousand pounds of corn each. The corn was taken back to the elevator in Claremont.
No one knows exactly what caused the derailment, but railroad workers say the ties in that part of the track were bad and when the train passed, the ties broke apart, bending the rails. Maintenance personnel from the railroad were on the scene Thursday helping with the cleanup. Engines took the cars that were still on the track from the scene, and workers were trying to clear the way to let traffic go through. DMVW spokesman Ken Wolbam explained, “we’re going to try and put these cars back on the track. (As soon as the grain is removed) we’ll be building track up underneath the cars and re-railing them.”
They estimated opening the road by four o’clock Thursday, but it was still closed late in the afternoon and traffic was still being detoured around the scene.
There were two people on the train when it derailed, but they weren’t hurt. None of the cars tipped over, but over fifty bushels of corn spilled.