Railfans recall firsthand account of weekend derailment in Ohio NEWSWIRE

TONTOGANY, Ohio — A weekend of train watching in northwest Ohio turned into a firsthand witness account of a CSX Transportation freight train derailment on former Baltimore & Ohio rails near Deshler, Ohio. Railroad photographers Scott Lindsey and Dave Oroszi were photographing CSX train L324-09 north of Deshler on Sunday afternoon when a defect detector warned the freight train of a hotbox malfunction on its approach into the town of Tontogany. Moments later, they both witnessed something they would have never expected.

The train was headed from Chicago to Toledo, Ohio, when the incident occurred.

As the train started slowing to a stop to inspect the malfunction in Tontogany, Lindsey and Oroszi noticed smoke billowing from the bearing of a boxcar about 100 feet in front of them.

“We watched as the car appeared from behind an elevator, with one of its axles throwing fire and smoke. As it hit the crossing, pavement and timber fragments began flying when the bearing failed and the car began riding the ground,” Lindsey recalls. He adds, saying that the train speed had slowed by the time more cars started to derail behind the boxcar, including three covered hoppers and two tanks cars with hazmat placarding.

Lindsey explains that shortly after watching the car derail into the streets of downtown Tontogany, he immediately called the CSX emergency number and informed the railroad police of what had just happened. The pair said that later that day, railroad officials called him to gather additional information on what they had witnessed.

No one was injured in Sunday’s derailment and it was reported that a total of six cars derailed in the incident. A signal was destroyed in the derailment and a couple of the freight cars involved narrowly missed downtown storefronts. While hazmat cars were involved in the derailment, the tank cars remained upright and no leaks were reported.

CSX spokesperson Gail Lobin tells Trains News Wire that the freight train was en route to Stanley Yard in Toledo from Chicago at time of the derailment. It was carrying 144 loads and 71 empties. Lobin says that cleanup crews were still on scene Monday and traffic was not expected to resume until Monday evening. All but one car had been re-railed as of Monday afternoon. A hopper car carrying plastic pellets did leak some of its product, Lobin confirms. The exact cause of the derailment is still under investigation.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified the direction of the train involved in the derailment. July 12, 2016, 11:27 a.m. Central time.