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February 13, 2006

Train derails in Moore

While incident considered ‘minor,’ it held up rush-hour traffic

By Tony Pennington

Transcript Staff Writer

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway officials are calling the 2:50 p.m. derailment of a train pulling 55 cars in Moore Monday “a minor accident.”

“He was going from one track to another, and the front end derailed,” said BNSF Terminal Manager Ron Sherman. “It happens on a rare occasion. It was very minor and no hazard to the public.” No damages or injuries were reported.

Sherman, 59, described the Oklahoma City-bound General Electric 400 horsepower locomotive as “slow moving” and “real light.” And when the train approached a switch about a block north of 12th Street the front end jumped the track and came to an immediate stop.

Officials contacted local authorities following the accident which resulted in sections of 12th Street, Main Street and 4th Street near the tracks being closed off as the empty cars were rendered motionless. Motorists were detoured around the tracks as congestion backed up to I-35. Sherman said drivers were in no danger of harmful chemicals or debris as the derailment affected just the front end. But he did say the accident added to their drive time.

“It was just inconvenient having the roads blocked with no options,” Sherman said.

A BNSF crew had the train on the track and ready to move sometime after 6 p.m. Sherman said the job should have taken about five minutes, but his team had to wait for equipment. An inspection of the switch was conducted, but no conclusive evidence of a failure was found. Sherman promised a follow-up inspection of the site.

“We will conduct another inspection in the morning,” he said.

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