GILLETTE, Wyo. - A
Gus Melonas, a spokesman for the railway, said investigators at the derailments in Wyoming and Montana have ruled out sabotage but have not determined an exact cause of the two accidents. Yesterday’s derailment occurred on a siding near Gillette and involved 21 coal cars. Melonas said all the cars remained upright and no spill occurred. Crews were working to put the cars back on the track.
On Saturday afternoon, 13 Burlington Northern freight cars on the Montana Hi-Line derailed 57 miles east of Glasgow. Melonas said the train remained intact but was off the track. Its contents will be transferred to another train, he said.
A 19-car Burlington Northern train derailed 3 miles west of Casselton, N.D., on Sept. 15. No one was injured and service on the line was restored the next day after spilled cargo was cleaned up and the track was replaced. The railroad company, based in Fort Worth, operates transcontinental freight service through 27 states.
