Slow-speed derailment. On a sidetrack of the transcontinental mainline that carries 70-some trains a day.
Loads of gravel lost when train tips
SAUK CENTER, Minn. – A Burlington Northern locomotive and five cars load loaded with gravel left the rails and rolled onto their near St. Cloud. The rock was inert, not hazmat risk. Nobody was injured. Benton County deputies closed street crossings temporarily at Second Avenue South, Ninth Street South and First Street South for crews to right the locomotive and cars. This was about 1 p.m.
Call in the back hoes. Tons of rock intended as ballast to strengthen roadbeds got dumped n wrong place.
Preparedness
Although the derailment posed no environmental danger, Stearns County is prepared for the worst. St. Cloud has 60 certified hazmat technicians on staff, one of only four such emergency response teams in the state. Erin Tufte, the county emergency manager, said protocols are in place to evacuate everyone within a half mile. Nearly two dozen rescue locations have been pre-arranged, he said. each with backup generators, kitchens, restrooms and showers for overnight use or longer if needed.