Story posted Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Picking Up The Pieces
With Chemicals On Board, Chief Says Derailment Could Have Been Worse
By TOM ROBB Journal & Topics Reporter
Sunday's derailment of a freight train on the Northbrook-Glenview border could have been much worse, a senior Northbrook fire official said.
The southbound Canadian Pacific freight train, passing a northbound Canadian Pacific freight train, derailed about 100 yards south of Willow Road. A total of 18 freight cars from the two trains derailed off the tracks forcing closure of Shermer Road between West Lake and Willow.
As cars from the southbound train wobbled they struck the northbound train causing a second derailment. Fourteen cars from the southbound train and four from the northbound train left the tracks.
"It reminded me of a kid who loaded up his toy trains in a sack and then up-ended them on the floor," said Deputy Fire Chief Jim Richards of Northbrook.
Shermer Road from West Lake Avenue to Willow Road was immediately blocked by rail cars in both lanes of the roadway and was quickly closed by police.
As of Monday afternoon, Nov. 2, the road remained closed as 12 of the 18 rail cars remained off the tracks at the scene with one still on the roadway.
No major injuries were reported. Richards said one train was crewed by two men and one train by one man. All three received minor injuries but were treated at the scene and not transported to hospitals.
Richards said the situation could have been much worse. The cars that fell in the derailment were filled with grain but other cars in the southbound train were carrying hazardous chemicals. Had those hazardous chemical cars fallen off the tracks rather than the grain cars the situation could have been catastrophic, Richards said.
Union Pacific railroad owns the tracks where the incident occurred and is handling the investigation.
Richards said he was not aware of the National Transportation Safety Board becoming involved in the investigation. He did not have an exact damage estimate but said the value of the grain in the 14 grain cars that derailed was $23,000 each.
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