Soil gives way, train derails
<p>More than a dozen cars were involved in a Saturday morning derailment when saturated soil gave way between a Union Pacific train about 8 miles north of Sandpoint.</p>
<p>Train wheels sit on what remains of a track as soybeans spill onto the ground following a Saturday train derailment about 8 miles north of Sandpoint.</p>
SANDPOINT - Saturated soil gave way beneath a Union Pacific train Saturday morning north of Sandpoint, washing out a 350-foot section of track and derailing more than a dozen cars.
The southbound train was about eight miles north of Sandpoint in the Colburn Culver area when a section of track washed out, said UP spokesman Aaron Hunt. In total, 14 cars were involved in the derailment, which happened about 8:42 a.m.
The derailment took place at the second set of tracks near Selkirk Road, about 400 yards north of Colburn Culver Road.
Neither Selkirk Road or Colburn Culver Road were affected when the trackbed washed out. Selkirk Road was closed for about an hour following the derailment as emergency crews evaluated conditions, Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler said.
About a half-dozen cars slid down the embankment when the trackbed washed out. Hunt said no hazardous materials spilled but six cars involved in the derailment spilled some of their load of soybeans.
"Fortunately there were no injuries in the incident," Hunt said.
Crews are on site working to clean up the spilled soybeans and to rerail the cars derailed in the accident. While two of the cars were re-railed by Saturday night, Hunt said it could take a while to re-rail some of the other cars.
"It could be an extensive process, depending on what our response team decides to do," Hunt said. "We may decide to get the track open while simultaneously working to get those cars out of there."
It will likely take very heavy equipment, including bulldozers with boom cranes attached, to remove the cars from where they now rest, Hunt said.
While it's too early to say what caused the derailment, Hunt said the investigation will look very closely at weather factors.
"There's been a lot of precipitation and things are pretty saturated," he added.
Wheeler praised the actions of the 911 Dispatch Center, which was able to quickly determine no hazardous substances were involved in the accident, allowing emergency crews to respond more quickly.
The derailment is the latest problem caused by a soggy March, which saw a record 7.88 inches of rain fall in Bonner County. The wet weather has wreaked havoc on the county's roads with numerous mudslides and washouts, including Bowen Arrow Road, as well as high water encroaching onto the driving surface.