APTOS, Calif. — A train derailment in Aptos Monday forced a dozen residents off track as they had to detour their evening commutes through the wreckage, the Register-Pajaronian reported.
Around 6 p.m., a Davenport Union-Pacific freight train, heading south with a load of cement, derailed when a track failure pushed two of the train’s cars off the track.
The two cars teetered back and forth above the Estates Drive neighborhood on the elevated track, threatening nearby homes and power lines.
Train engineers were able to secure the cars and move the engines out of the way, but two cars were left blocking Estates Drive. Monday night commuters trying to drive to about a dozen homes on the street had to park their cars and walk between the train cars.
“We had to crawl between two railroad cars last night after parking up here,” said Rick Burgin, who has lived in the area for the last eight years. “It’s a mess but these things happen.”
Burgin added that he has seen other derailments in the same area.
“The land along the tracks never seems to dry out and I imagine the rail ties just rot out,” Burgin said.
Workers from Jim Dobbas Inc. hauled in heavy equipment overnight to deal with the problem. One worker said high tension power lines, draped directly over the leaning rail cars, forced workers to offload the cement instead of righting the cars with cranes. The job could last until Friday or Saturday.
By this morning, the railroad crossing at Estates Drive had been opened up to vehicle traffic.
Sarah Melton of Aptos/La Selva Fire said crews were still working on the wreck as of 10 a.m. She reported that the accident was considered a minor derailment and that no injuries were reported.