CHICAGO -- A pipe bomb exploded inside a railroad switching hut shortly before 2:00 am on Tuesday morning, Web site www.myfoxchicago.com reported.
The blast gutted the electronics inside the hut, bent the steel latches on the door, and shattered concrete.
Inspectors think it was a pipe bomb filled with black powder and detonated with a fuse. And they say whoever built it knew how to make a bomb.
Residents scarcely thirty yards away slept through the explosion, which was muffled by the heavy concrete. But they did not sleep through the investigation.
"Right on the top window over there. Woke up to some bright lights in the bedroom," said Carrie Croft. She lives nearby.
More than 800 miles away, an emergency dashboard lit up in the Burlington Northern Railroad tracking center in Fort Worth Texas.
Train traffic was completely disrupted on these tracks for six hours. Five freight trains that were already in the area had to be stopped until inspectors could make sure tracks were safe.
"It was serious because it could have derailed the train and crashed into the houses or something," said Hayden Senese who also lives nearby.
Senese was one of several teenagers contacted by federal investigators who went door to door looking for clues.
"I'd like to know who did this and why and get it solved," said Senese's mother.
Remnants of the bomb have been sent to federal evidence labs in Quantico, Virginia. The feds are also offering a $5,000 reward as an incentive for help identifying the bomber.
And they want to catch him before he puts any more people in harm's way.
(The preceding report appeared on the Web site www.myfoxchicago.com on May 14, 2009.)
