(The following article by Sheila McLaughlin was posted on the Cincinnati Enquirer website on September 1.)
LOVELAND, Ohio — The mess is cleaned up and highway opened, but CSX officials aren’t ready to say what caused the train derailment near the city’s downtown.
“It will be a couple of days, even weeks, before we come to a conclusion,” spokeswoman Meg Scheu of Jacksonville-based CSX Transportation said today.
Meanwhile, the track was repaired and trains were running through the city again by midday after the rail was shut down since the derailment at 9:50 a.m. Tuesday.
Authorities said that the track broke, causing four tankers and two box cars that contained paper on the 53-car train to jump the track near Ohio 48 just north of downtown. But, it was unclear whether the track was faulty or if a wheel or other equipment on one of the tankers broke and caused the track to give way.
The tankers were filled with paraffin wax and the boxcars contained paper, police said.
Ohio 48 was shut down through downtown for about 12 hours, while CSX workers removed the derailed cars and cleared a crossing of about 19 other cars.