Wisconsin train derailment spilled thousands of gallons of ethanol

One of the cars was punctured, spilling less than 1,000 gallons of oil.

Another 13 cars carrying crude oil derailed on Sunday afternoon in Watertown, Wis., spilling about 500 gallons of crude oil and leading to the evacuation of 35 nearby families. “Some of the tank cars were carrying crude oil”.

The BNSF tracks are expected to reopen Monday afternoon. That portion of the track has a 30-mile-per-hour speed limit as two tracks combine into one there.

In a separate incident, about 25 BNSF Railway auto rack and tank cars derailed north of Alma on Saturday morning and about 20,000 gallons of ethanol leaked from five of the cars, spilling ethanol into the Mississippi River.

“Our people are out there and they are investigating what caused the derailment”, said Matthew Lehner, spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration.

Clauder said the derailed oil cars would be drained of oil then placed back on track, while the new track would be assembled as one piece and welded into the existing line.

Residents who evacuated dozens of homes were still being kept away Monday as 12 derailed cars were moved to a temporary track. The spill was contained and the oil did not reach any waterways, he said.

Video images from the BNSF incident showed train cars sprawled across tracks on a narrow causeway that slices through the middle of the river, with water on either side.

It was the third derailment on the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife Refuge in the last nine months, according to Citizens Acting for Rail Safety, a group focusing on rail safety and traffic.

In addition to the derailments in Alma, Watertown and Des Moines, the region has been affected by accidents in Slinger, WI, and Galena, IL.

The vehicle that leaked will be unloaded and cut up on-site.

According to the Associated Press, FRA spokesman Matt Lehner said the tank cars in the Alma derailment were older, “legacy” tank cars.

Schmid said county fire departments and other emergency personnel are consistently training to handle such emergencies, but there’s a problem.

“CP confirms a derailment in Watertown, WI”.