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Train carrying sand derails in Prairie du Chien

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Five train cars carrying sand derailed in Prairie du Chien Wednesday night, March 29. Though the cause is under investigation still, emergency management believes it may have had to do with poor soil conditions underneath the track. (Photo by Correne Martin)

The derailment occurred between the Pattison Sand loading site and the city wastewater treatment plant. (Photos by Correne Martin)

A piece of track was shredded in the crash. The railroad company is in the process of cleaning up the debris and replacing the rail at the site.

By Correne Martin

Five train cars carrying sand derailed on Wisconsin and Southern Railroad (WSOR) track in Prairie du Chien late Wednesday night, March 29. No injuries were reported and the cause remains under investigation.

“If I had to guess, I’d say it had to do with the condition of the soil underneath,” Crawford County Emergency Management Director Jim Hackett surmised, noting last week’s rainy weather. “We talked to the engineer and believe it had nothing to do with the train itself.”

The Prairie du Chien Police Department said, around 11:15 p.m., Wednesday, a WSOR train left its line between Pattison Sand Company’s loading site along the Highway 18 Bypass and the Prairie du Chien Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Hackett said the train had over 100 cars, two locomotives and was traveling at a speed of 10 mph or slower when the accident occurred.

Officers arrived on scene and found five cars that had derailed. Two of them had tipped on their side and spilled their loads of sand.

Hackett and railroad officials were notified, and an initial assessment of the scene was done Wedenesday night into Thursday morning. Railroad officials began clean-up thereafter. Also, access was shut down for some time to the Campion Street Boat Landing via Campion Street.

Because the engines were contracted to WSOR by Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), both companies were contacted about the derailment. Railroad police responded to the scene later in the morning.

Hackett said, “Initially, we wanted to see what was on the train to see whether it was hazardous materials or not. We had to inspect the engines and their contents, just to check for any possible further emergency, which there wasn’t.”

Furthermore, officials contacted the DNR because, anytime there’s material foreign to the landscape, that’s part of the protocol. They contacted the wastewater treatment plant staff to relay details in case of an emergency. They called the 1-800-SPILL hotline to report the amount, the conditions and details of their own investigation.

Plus, the adjacent property owner, Blair Dillman, was reached for permission to set up cranes to remove the damaged cars and special equipment to repair and replace the lines for safe travel again.

According to Hackett, it was the responsibility of the railroad company to notify the product owner and rectify details.

Officials were at the site until 4 a.m. Thursday.

“We all work together so well and that’s a big reason why things run so smoothly,” Hackett said. “It’s great that we have that teamwork.”

This is the second time in less than two years that a train has derailed in that location. On Aug. 30, 2015, a 139-car train carrying corn derailed, as four cars went off the line and two tipped completely. The Courier Press reported, then, that the cause involved a section of road-bed, about 5 foot in length, washing out.

The Courier also reported earlier this month that a $2.2 million WSOR rail efficiency project is on the docket, starting in June, from Prairie du Chien to Madison. Old, worn out rail will be replaced with new and better rail and several bridges will be refurbished or replaced.

In Prairie du Chien, from St. Feriole Island near Water Street and the public boat landing to Wells Street, the old jointed rail will be replaced with new jointed rail.

Between Prairie du Chien and Madison, 100-plus-year-old joint rail will be swapped for new 115-pound continuous welded rail, according to WSOR Director of Government Relations Ken Lucht.

“This existing rail is over 100 years old and way beyond its useful life,” Lucht said.

The day of this most recent derailment, Wednesday afternoon, new rails could be seen lying alongside the current lines, as if ready to be placed, in the same location as the accident.

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