Two coal train derailments this weekend—one on UP, the other on CN

Written by David C. Lester, Editor-in-Chief
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Screen shot of drone video of Union Pacific derailment by Lawrence, Kan. Police Department via Twitter

Two separate and unrelated coal train derailments occurred this weekend.

The first occurred on Union Pacific on Friday evening in Lawrence, Kan., just west of Kansas City. Somewhere between 20 and 30 loaded cars derailed, spilling coal over a considerable area. No injuries were reported, but officials from the Douglas County Sheriff’s office said there was major damage to the tracks.

The second derailment occurred on Saturday afternoon on Canadian National’s line east of Lytton, British Columbia. About 15 loaded cars derailed, according to the website Castanet. No injuries were reported, although a small fire was reported, that was extinguished without incident.

The causes of these derailments are under investigation.

Read more articles about railroad safety.

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