Published: January 05, 2009 11:16 am      

BNSF train derails Friday

Residents of the neighborhood near the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway yard behind Belcher Street are used to the sounds of trains.

But early this morning, many who live by the railway tracks noticed something unsual — railcars sitting askew on a side track.

Joe Faust, a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, said in an interview Friday afternoon, that the derailment happened around 9:30 Friday morning and did not impact the railroad’s daily operations.

“This (derailment) happened on what we call a siding,” Faust explained.

A siding is a side rail on which cars wait while another train passes by on the mainline, he said.

Four cars derailed and plowed partially into the dirt and grass beside the train track.

The four cars involved remained upright, he noted.

“In other words, they didn’t end up on their sides,” he said.

Two of the railcars were empty.

One of the cars contained oats and another was filled with miscellaneous freight, he said.

Faust said BNSF contracts with several companies to remove debris and set cars back on the track after derailments.

Saginaw company, JR’s Crane, is handling the clean-up, he said.

No one is certain why the cars derailed, but such incidents are fairly common and are usually not serious, he noted.

“The cause of the accident is still under investigation. There were no injuries and no hazardous materials spilled,” he concluded.