3 July 2006
Clean Up Starts After Elbow Lake Wreck
Elbow Lake Minnesota USA - Crews on Saturday were cleaning
up and doing repair work after a Canadian Pacific train derailment in this west central Minnesota town.
Railroad spokeswoman Laura Baenen said no one was hurt in the wreck shortly before 4 p.m. Friday, and no hazardous materials spilled.
The cause of the derailment was still under investigation Saturday.
Jeremi Anderson of Elbow Lake was waiting in his car at the railroad crossing when the accident occurred.
"(One car) was jumping up and down on the track, throwing sparks," he said. "Then it jumped in the air and went off the
tracks. I thought I was going to get run over."
A train car, on its side with dirt piled up in front of its forward end, came to rest about 10 yards from Anderson's vehicle.
Laraya Michel saw the accident while working at the Cenex Gas Station nearby. "I saw a cloud of dust and noticed the cars were
swaying more than usual, she said. "Then it just tipped over."
The 90-car train was headed from Chicago to Calgary, Alberta. Twenty-seven cars left the tracks, and some
sand and ceramic pellets spilled, Baenen said.
One of the derailed cars had some ethanol residue, but Baenen said there were no safety concerns.
"We did bring a third party contractor to the scene to make sure (the railcar) was not leaking and was still structurally
sound," she said.
The derailment temporarily blocked the town's main street, but Baenen said it was cleared later Friday. Trains were being rerouted
around the area on Saturday.
The track at Elbow Lake was expected to reopen by 1 p.m. Sunday, Baenen said.
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