NORTH PLATTE, Neb. - A broken rail caused eight cars to jump the tracks at Bailey Yard on Wednesday morning, leaving seven cars on their sides and dumping about 700 tons of coal, The North Platte Telegraph reports.
According to Union Pacific Railroad spokesman Tom Lange, the two tracks closed due to the derailment reopened at 1:15 a.m. Thursday.
The eight cars were part of a 134-car coal train on the Wyoming to Kentucky coal train. Each open top hopper car holds about 100 tons of coal.
On Wednesday, UPRR spokesman Mark Davis told the Telegraph that six of the remaining tracks in the area near the run through fueling station at the largest railroad classification yard in the world remained open and in operation after the 7:55 a.m. incident.
No injuries were reported.
Clean up crews used bulldozers to pick up the spilled coal, rendering it unusable for utilities because of extra debris gathered during the process. The tainted coal may be sold to contractors who can use it for other purposes, such as furnaces for brick making or drying.
(This item appeared March 19, 2010, in the North Platte Telegraph.)
