Blasterz saw these cars still scattered around like toys on our way home from Christmas vacation on 27 Dec 2016.
This train had derailed on 10 Aug 2016 when a car in the middle of a long grain train derailed, toppling 15 other cars.
From the Abilene Reporter-News: (
visit link)
"Crews work to clear line after derailment at Ballinger
By Mike Kelly of the San Angelo Standard-Times
Crews were working Thursday to clear wreckage from the rail line about 20 miles east of Ballinger after a dozen grain cars went off the track.
The 104-car Texas Pacifico train was eastbound after loading at the Kasberg Grain Co. in Miles, Texas Pacifico spokeswoman Elizabeth Grindstaff said. Of the 15 rail cars involved, 12 were either on their sides or off the track, she said.
No injuries were reported, she said.
The cause of the derailment, which occurred about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday in Coleman County near Valera, was not known, she said, but probably involved a problem with track or a rail car. The first car to derail was No. 54, more than halfway back through the train, she said, and the section of track involved was replaced last year. The train was going 21 mph when the derailment happened.
Work crews and at least one crane worked to right the cars and repair about 700 feet of track. Grindstaff said the line was expected to be reopened Thursday afternoon.
The derailment could be investigated by the Federal Railroad Administration, but only if it involves damages exceeding $1 million of railroad and non-railroad property, or if it is an accident “likely to arouse considerable public interest,” according to the FRA website.
Photo captions:
A worker walks among overturned rail cars and piles of grain spilled during a train derailment Thursday morning. The 104-car Texas Pacifico train was eastbound carrying grain that had been loaded in Miles, Texas. A dozen cars were destroyed or damaged in the incident, no injuries were reported. - photo by Ken Grimm/Standard-Times
Locator map for the train derailment Thursday morning. The 104-car train was heading east when several cars went off the tracks just a few miles from Valera. - Graphic Illustration/Ken Grimm
A rail car that had been loaded with grain lays on its side after derailing; a 104-car Texas Pacifico train was eastbound carrying grain. A dozen cars were destroyed or damaged in the incident, no injuries were reported. - photo by Ken Grimm/Standard-Times
A worker walks along a track where a 104-car Texas Pacifico train that was eastbound carrying grain partially derailed. A dozen cars were destroyed or damaged in the incident, no injuries were reported. - photo by Ken Grimm"