ROANOKE, Va. -- When a Norfolk Southern train derailed in Charlotte County last December, the company "borrowed land" along the tracks for the clean up. It was needed to store equipment and supplies.
Now nearly a year later, a landowner is furious. He says Norfolk Southern damaged his property, and he wants it fixed.
"It's all over the place," said Alan Myers.
As he walks across his lot in Abilene, he spots tiny pieces of coal. Myers says they weren't there 12 months ago.
"Apparently it was piled up on my property and reloaded onto different trucks, that's the only thing I can figure," said Myers.
He gave them permission to use his property because he says they told him, "We're going to take care of you. We'll take care of your property and everything," said Myers.
He says that didn't happen. Myers accuses contractors of leaving coal and mounds of dirt all over his property. He believes heavy truck traffic swept away thousands of dollars worth of gravel and ruined his driveway.
A Norfolk Southern spokesperson says the company makes agreements with landowners when it uses private property.
"We will put their land back in the condition that we found it, and whatever damage is done, we will compensate them for it," said Robin Chapman, Norfolk Southern Public Relations.
"A claim agent came out and looked at my property. He said as far as he could tell, they did not damage my property, so they don't owe me anything," said Myers.
He says there is damage, and he wonders if coal is the only thing contractors left behind.
"I don't know what's down there. Whether it's diesel fuel or what it is," said Myers.
He says Norfolk Southern contacted him after our interview and agreed to do an environmental study to see if those leftover items damaged his land. Myers says it's a nice offer, but it doesn't change how he feels.
"There will never be another Norfolk Southern truck on property I own. Period," said Myers.
So even if they do come to fix his damage, Myers says they'll have to park elsewhere.
Norfolk Southern says it used land from a handful of property owners when it cleaned up that derailment last year. They tell News7 everyone but Myers reached settlements over damages.
(The preceding appeared on the Web site of television station WDBJ at www.wdbj7.com on December 1, 2008.)
There's a lane that goes back to the railroad that we used to use all the time to get to trains that had outlawed. Until, one day, the MofW forces irritated the landowner and then didn't make it right. That was the end of that, creating a operating headache that doesn't, of course, have much affect on MofW.
