Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
A pile of wrecked train cars lay just to the northwest of the Highways 52-200 overpass, awaiting removal by Canadian Pacific Railroad crews.
A Canadian Pacific Railroad train carrying grain derailed in the Carrington city limits between the 6th Ave. North crossing and the Highways 52-200 overpass just southeast of the Central City Grain elevator early Sunday morning, April 26.
The incident occurred just before 7:00 a.m. when around 20 cars on the 100-unit train came off the tracks, with many of those coming to rest beneath the overpass.
Andy Cummings, a spokesperson for CP, said that no injuries were reported, no hazardous materials were spilled, and the incident posed no public safety issues. The cause of the derailment is currently under investigation.
Carrington Fire and Rescue, the Carrington City Police, the Foster County Sheriff's Department, North Dakota Highway Patrol and Canadian Pacific officials worked to secure all roads and approaches in the immediate area of the derailment while round-the-clock cleanup efforts began around the scene.
During the response, it was feared that wayward cars in the incident may have posed a danger to the structural integrity of the overpass in the event of a crash, putting that portion of the east-west highway on the north side of Carrington out of commission for the time being.
Upon further inspection, it was determined that there was no damage to the structure, and the overpass was later reopened to traffic.
It was the second derailment on the Canadian Pacific Railroad in the Carrington area in just over a year's time.
A 35-car incident occurred near the Gavilon Grain elevator several miles southeast of the city on March 2, 2019, which warranted a much-larger response due to leaks of anhydrous ammonia and propane from toppled cars.
