LILESVILLE, N.C. — Sharp-eyed railroaders and railroad enthusiasts watching Hurricane Florence coverage have noted the presence of export units in the Sunday night derailment of a CSX train near the crossroads terminal of Hamlet.
Eastbound train Q583 derailed about 6 p.m., possibly when it hit a washout, near Lilesville, N.C., between Monroe and Hamlet. In addition to the CSX units derailed in the consist were four SD40-3s, Nos. 123-126, rebuilt by NRE in Mount Vernon, Ill., which were bound for an eastern location for export to Companie de Bauxite du Guinea.
Meanwhile, in eastern N.C., railroad officials and emergency crews are watching a CSX bridge over the Cape Fear River in Fayetteville, where water is expected to crest more than 60 feet above flood stage. The bridge is on a former Atlantic Coast Line branch to the East and is not far from CSX’s strategic A-line that runs from the Washington, D.C., area to Florida.
