NELSON, Wis. – A transcon freight train crashed into a truck at the double-track Burlington Northern mainline crossing. Buffalo County Sheriff Michael Osmond had no immediate information on injuries. Blocked was the U.S. Highway 25 route connecting Wisconsin and Minnesota – and the only bridge over the Mississippi River for 60 miles between Winona and Red Wing. The accident was about 8:45 a.m. The rail crossing, into central Nelson, has flashing red lights and drop-down gates that are activated as trains approach. Trains typically roar at 72 mph through Nelson. The route follows the Mississippi between St. Paul and LaCrosse and on to Chicago and Texas. The route is not used by any passenger trains.
Truck remnants pressed into locomotive nose. Image: Buffalo County sheriff