Train cars jump track
Photo courtesy of Dave Allen
TWISTED RAILS and overturned cars, including at least four tankers carrying heating fuel, were the result of a derailment that occurred in Easton on Sunday.
The accident was reported to officials with Maine, Montreal and Atlantic and Maine DEP, who were on site Monday to investigate what happened. The cars reportedly jumped the tracks on a section of rail just off the Station Road in what is referred to as the town’s Industrial Park. The NTSB was notified and will be investigating.
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
EASTON — A train derailment over the weekend caused five cars, including four carrying fuel, to leave the track, according to officials with Maine, Montreal & Atlantic and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The accident occurred around 4 p.m. Sunday on a section of track just off the Station Road, in what is known as Easton’s Industrial Park — home to Huber and McCain Foods — according to Samantha DePoy-Warren, Maine DEP spokesperson. One car was reportedly carrying wafer board, while at least four others were tankers containing No. 2 heating fuel.
Officials were on site investigating the accident and cleaning up the area on Monday, with crews expected to be at the site throughout the week. Barbara Parker, director of response services for the DEP, was in Easton Monday evening and indicated staff from DEP offices in Bangor and Presque Isle were drilling holes in the sides of the overturned cars in order to transfer fuel oil into awaiting tanker trucks. The shipment reportedly belongs to Dead River.
Parker said each car holds 23,000 gallons of fuel but estimated only 10-15 gallons might have spilled as the result of the cars coming off the tracks. By Monday evening, about three and a half cars worth of fuel had been pumped out, with the remainder being removed on Tuesday. MMA planned to bring in a crane to right the overturned cars so the rest of the fuel could be drained.
Officials were not sure what caused the derailment but it’s believed the wheels on one of the cars weren’t turning properly, causing the car to jump the track, taking the rest of the cars with it when it left the rails. While they don’t happen often, train derailments are more common this time of year, due to frost heaves causing the ground beneath the rails to shift and heave. No cause has been officially determined as of presstime.
Parker noted that cleanup was made easier by the fact the accident occurred not far from a road, making getting to the scene and getting trucks close enough to transfer fuel much simpler than if the derailment had occurred in a more remote setting. She also indicated it was a safer location for an accident involving a loaded tanker, since the incident occurred in a less populated area. Another plus is that no bodies of water are nearby.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified and will be investigating the accident.
No injuries were reported as the result of the cars going off the track. Firefighters from Easton and Presque Isle also assisted at the scene.
