More Canadian National Railway Derailments in Pennsylvania and Alberta

Canadian National Railway is having trouble convincing the public that they run a safe railway, considering the number of reported CN derailments during an 11-day period from February 14 to February 25. Railroaded has already reported on CN derailments February 25 near Duluth, Minnesota; and February 14 near Timmins, Ontario.

Another Canadian National Railway derailment occurred February 25 in Butler County, Pennsylvania, the same day of the Duluth, Minnesota derailment. The Pennsylvania derailment involved 27 cars loaded with iron ore falling off the tracks about 35 miles north of Pittsburgh (Daily Journal). The rail line had to be closed for at least 2 days while the derailed CN cars and loads were cleaned off the tracks, and the damaged tracks repaired. The train was traveling from Conneaut, Ohio to Pittsburgh.

On February 14, the same day of the Timmins, Ontario CN derailment, several cars of a CN train went off the tracks in a Jasper, Alberta rail yard (Fitzhugh). Although CN provided no information to the media, they did park a train in front of the derailed cars to obstruct the view of the accident from the Jasper townsite. A crane was observed helping to get the cars back onto the tracks. CN employees were still working on the tracks where the derailment occurred 3 days following the accident.

During the same 11-day period, a CSX oil train derailed near Charleston, West Virginia on February 16 involving 27 tank cars loaded with Bakken crude oil, about 15 of which caught fire and several plunged into the Kanawha River, spilling crude oil. Two Canadian Pacific Railway locomotives and 13 cars derailed on February 4 north of Dubuque, Iowa. 3 of 11 derailed tank cars loaded with ethanol caught fire and another 3 tank cars plunged into the Mississippi River.

Read CN Railway Derailments, Other Accidents and Incidents  for many more examples of CN derailments in Canada and the U.S.

 

~ by railroaded on February 28, 2015.