7/23/2001 UP train derails again; Grain cars jump, bridge damaged

By LOYD COOK/Daily Sun Staff

The Union Pacific Railroad had its second derailment in as many days, within close proximity to the other, and both within the city limits of Corsicana.

A 74-car train originating from Nebraska, and traveling southbound through the city, jumped the tracks and dropped 10 grain-hopper cars filled with corn off a bridge onto a city street below at approximately 3 p.m. Sunday.

The accident was mere yards away from several residences and only two blocks from the city's historic downtown district.

"Not only will there have to be work on the bridge, but they'll have to repair about 500 feet of track," said Mark Davis, UP spokesman, during a telephone interview late Sunday.

The UP spokesman said the train was bound for Laredo and, ultimately, Mexico for export purposes. The 10 grain-hopper cars twisted and split as they tumbled from the tracks, leaving piles of corn waist high on the street below.

Two of the grain-hopper cars hung from the bridge and rested on the street after landing with enough impact to burst a main on a 6-inch water line buried below the east-west running 1st Avenue.

It was the second Union Pacific derailment in two days. Early Saturday morning, three boxcars left the tracks and were dragged through town. Along the way, the dislodged boxcars struck two 18-wheelers and reportedly damaged safety signals at least two crossings.

Saturday's accident blocked several key crossings through the heart of Corsicana, including State Highway 31, for about three hours. UP officials have refused comment concerning the cause of either accident, only saying that they are investigating. One UP worker on the scene said, on condition of anonymity, that Saturday's incident was due to human error.

A law enforcement officer arriving early at Sunday's derailment said the engineer of that train told him that the tracks were bowed and that the engineer knew the derailment was about to occur. The anonymous UP official said Sunday's incident was likely caused by a split in the rails just north of the railroad trestle.

Corsicana fire chief Donald McMullan said area residents were fortunate Sunday, given the nature of materials that often travel through this city on their way to points south.

"We have a lot of flammable liquids that run this route," McMullan said. "We're very fortunate that this wasn't a whole lot worse. This kind of thing is every fireman's and policeman's nightmare."

Firefighters on the scene said TXU Gas workers were called to investigate the smell of natural gas. Reportedly "sniffing" equipment detected a small leak at a gas main located on the southwest corner of the intersection of 1st Avenue and Business 45, about 30 feet from the railroad bridge.

The source also said that TXU was planning to dig up the gas line -- which was run in a protective casing -- to further inspect any possible damage.

Union Pacific brought in cranes and numerous personnel to begin cleanup efforts late Sunday night.

One Corsicana police officer helping secure the accident site Sunday said he had heard estimates for cleanup time ranging from 24 to 48 hours.

"It was really strange that we had two (derailments) in such a short period," McMullan said. "With that signal light (at Business 45 and 1st Avenue) we could have had traffic backed up under that trestle and the situation could be a whole lot worse."

Staff writers Justin Lewis and Raymond Linex II contributed to this article.

Loyd Cook may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected]

The Corsicana Daily Sun