Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Chemical tankers derail in Gurdon

Five tankers of a Union Pacific chemical train passing through Gurdon derailed shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday directly in the downtown area, causing an evacuation of residents and effectively putting a halt to train traffic. Union Pacific Director of Regional Public Affairs for the Southern District Joe Arbona said Sunday afternoon that officials had not yet made a determination regarding the cause of the derailment.

The accident occurred shortly after 8 a.m. and a liquid pouring from one of the tankers prompted the evacuation, according to Clark County Office of Emergency Services Director Jim Burns. Burns said the train - on its way from Houston to Little Rock - carried a variety of chemicals.

One of the five cars that derailed was a propylene car, Burns said. That car was empty. The second of the derailed tankers was hauling methacrylate - a chemical used primarily in the manufacture of resins and plastics, and considered to be highly carcinogenic. That car was heavily damaged in the accident, Burns said. He said there was a gash in the side of the tanker some 12 feet long and about 2 feet wide. Liquid coming from that tear prompted the evacuation.

"At the time we ordered the evacuation, we still did not know if we had a product leak," Burns said.

Arbona said the decision to evacuate was "right."

The area ordered evacuated included several churches and some services were reportedly canceled.

Burns said that once hazardous material crews from the UP arrived at the scene, the tanker was examined more closely and it was discovered that the inner tank had not been breached. Burns said the liquid coming from the gash was actually condensation from the insulated panel around the inner tank.

The remaining three cars were similarly loaded, though there were no breaches in any of the other tankers. The third tanker also contained methacrylate, the fourth contained acrylic acid and the last car to derail was loaded with hydraulic fluid. Burns said cars behind those that derailed carried propane.

"We dodged the bullet," Burns said. "This train contained a little bit of every type of element you can think of."

Burns said the Gurdon Police and Fire departments took early control of the scene, and praised their efforts to be certain that the threat was taken seriously. He said those officers were careful to eliminate any opportunity for ignition - vital if the leak had been a chemical rather than the condensation.

Gurdon Mayor Clayton Franklin echoed Burns' statement.

"We were lucky," he said.

Franklin said he and Gurdon officers had attended some mock disasters and that the training paid off.

"When our patrol realized we had some chemical or something on the ground, they called Burns," Franklin said. "Everybody was right on the money."

The Diamond Valley Red Cross set up a center at the Gurdon Municipal Building for evacuees with no place to go and Burns said a few people took advantage of that service.

As of Sunday evening, UP officials were looking at plans for the next few hours. Among those was the expectation that the rails would be open for train travel by early Monday morning.

Arbona said there was still no determination about the cause, but did say that the tracks had been inspected on Oct. 20 - just two days before the derailment. He said theres no way to know how long it will take to have a final determination regarding the cause of the accident.

A hotline has been set up to answer questions and offer information for residents and business owners of the area, Arbona said. The toll free number is 877-877-2567.

I cant even begin to apologize to the community for this terrible accident, Arbona said. By Wendy Ledbetter

Five tankers of a Union Pacific chemical train passing through Gurdon derailed shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday directly in the downtown area, causing an evacuation of residents and effectively putting a halt to train traffic. Union Pacific Director of Regional Public Affairs for the Southern District Joe Arbona said Sunday afternoon that officials had not yet made a determination regarding the cause of the derailment.

The accident occurred shortly after 8 a.m. and a liquid pouring from one of the tankers prompted the evacuation, according to Clark County Office of Emergency Services Director Jim Burns. Burns said the train - on its way from Houston to Little Rock - carried a variety of chemicals.

One of the five cars that derailed was a propylene car, Burns said. That car was empty. The second of the derailed tankers was hauling methacrylate - a chemical used primarily in the manufacture of resins and plastics, and considered to be highly carcinogenic. That car was heavily damaged in the accident, Burns said. He said there was a gash in the side of the tanker some 12 feet long and about 2 feet wide. Liquid coming from that tear prompted the evacuation.

"At the time we ordered the evacuation, we still did not know if we had a product leak," Burns said.

Arbona said the decision to evacuate was "right."

The area ordered evacuated included several churches and some services were reportedly canceled.

Burns said that once hazardous material crews from the UP arrived at the scene, the tanker was examined more closely and it was discovered that the inner tank had not been breached. Burns said the liquid coming from the gash was actually condensation from the insulated panel around the inner tank.

The remaining three cars were similarly loaded, though there were no breaches in any of the other tankers. The third tanker also contained methacrylate, the fourth contained acrylic acid and the last car to derail was loaded with hydraulic fluid. Burns said cars behind those that derailed carried propane.

"We dodged the bullet," Burns said. "This train contained a little bit of every type of element you can think of."

Burns said the Gurdon Police and Fire departments took early control of the scene, and praised their efforts to be certain that the threat was taken seriously. He said those officers were careful to eliminate any opportunity for ignition - vital if the leak had been a chemical rather than the condensation.

Gurdon Mayor Clayton Franklin echoed Burns' statement.

"We were lucky," he said.

Franklin said he and Gurdon officers had attended some mock disasters and that the training paid off.

"When our patrol realized we had some chemical or something on the ground, they called Burns," Franklin said. "Everybody was right on the money."

The Diamond Valley Red Cross set up a center at the Gurdon Municipal Building for evacuees with no place to go and Burns said a few people took advantage of that service.

As of Sunday evening, UP officials were looking at plans for the next few hours. Among those was the expectation that the rails would be open for train travel by early Monday morning.

Arbona said there was still no determination about the cause, but did say that the tracks had been inspected on Oct. 20 - just two days before the derailment. He said theres no way to know how long it will take to have a final determination regarding the cause of the accident.

A hotline has been set up to answer questions and offer information for residents and business owners of the area, Arbona said. The toll free number is 877-877-2567.

I cant even begin to apologize to the community for this terrible accident, Arbona said.