Big mess to fix at Glenview-area derailment site
(The following story by Marni Pyke appeared on the Daily Herald website on November 2, 2009.)
CHICAGO — As the cleanup from Sunday's train derailment on the border of Northbrook and Glenview continues, one official said Monday the incident could have been much worse had cars carrying hazardous materials been involved.
Eighteen cars derailed as a southbound Canadian Pacific train sideswiped a standing northbound train at about 3 p.m., authorities said. The train cars toppled onto the Union Pacific tracks, onto a viaduct over Shermer Road and the roadway below. No one was injured although grain and clay spilled out from some of the cars.
"It was like a kid with a model train set put it into a bushel basket and turned it upside down," Northbrook Deputy Fire Chief Jim Richards said.
When he viewed the manifest listing cargo on the trains, Richards noted that some cars contained hazardous materials. "It could have been a disaster," he said. Instead, "there were some very happy rabbits."
Canadian Pacific did not confirm or deny that there were hazardous materials present.
"There were no injuries and there were no hazardous materials involved in the incident," CP manager of municipal affairs Jeff Johnson said. "That's the important message to the community."
A train car also came to rest on a utility pole near two liquid propane tanks used by Union Pacific to heat switches. Emergency crews removed the propane.
Metra service was not affected.
Investigators looked through evidence Monday but it will take time to determine an official cause, Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Warren Flatau said. Possible explanations could range from equipment failure to speed to load shifting issues to track switching problems.
Tractors moved broken pieces of rail and railway ties splayed on an embankment Monday morning. Spilled grain and clay that the cars had been carrying still littered the tracks by an overturned CP car.
The accident caused the temporary closure of Shermer Road south of Willow Road, which inconvenienced nearby homeowners and businesses.
"This is a major thoroughfare for neighborhood traffic," said Tim Thomas, who lives in the nearby Princeton Village community.
Maryann Moltz, a Princeton Village resident, watched as crews removed debris. "Someone could have been killed," she said.
Arlene Colen, a real estate agent, who was holding an open house nearby, heard the trains go off the track Sunday.
"It was like a straining and then a rumble and all of sudden I knew something was not right," she said.
Several neighbors complained that the bridge was in bad repair. "It's been vulnerable for years," Thomas said.
UP spokesman Mark Davis said it underwent regular inspections and had to meet state and federal standards.
The derailment caused the evacuation of a strip mall next to the accident but shops were open Monday.
Still with the ongoing road closure, "we're all worried we are going to lose our customers," said Smita Patel of R & R Liquors.
State Rep. Elaine Nekritz, a Northbrook Democrat who is chairman of the House Railroad Industry Committee, called the incident "a terrible accident. It was lucky there was no damage to life or limb," she said. But Nekritz noted that "on the other hand, rail is far and away the safest form of transportation."
Several officials said they hoped the road would be cleared by today. In the meantime, UP is rerouting its trains going through the area.
A derailment occurred at the same location 35 years ago, Richards said.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
