December 14, 1984

Derailment spills coal cars

       Illinois Central Gulf Railroad officials said this morning Carefree South subdivision residents in White River Township were not endangered by a train derailment early Thursday morning.  The 43 car, six engine train carrying several Indianapolis Power and Light coal cars bound for Indianapolis, skipped the track about 2 a.m. Thursday, railroad officials said.  IPL spokeswoman Jan Lower said about 700 tons of coal spilled onto the tracks behind the 400 block of Leisure Lane.  Area residents expressed concern Thursday afternoon because they had not been notified about any possible danger from potential leaks in three tank cars five cars back from the derailment.

         The tank cars did not derail.  But ICG spokeswoman Cathy Westphal said today the company followed proper procedure because no area residents were threatened.  “There’s some misconception about tank cars.  They are made and the products packaged to be safe.  If they were not damaged and sitting still, they were very safe,” Ms. Westphal said.  One tank car contained caustic soda (lye), which is dangerous only if touched without protective clothing, she said.  Another tanker was filled with nitrogen fertilizer, which is not hazardous, and the third was empty, the company spokeswoman said.  IPL said five of the coal cars were damaged extensively and two others were tipped but not severely damaged.  Another was barely off the tracks and was moved by one of the train’s engines.

         Workmen had difficulty getting equipment to the derailment site.  The closest access road was off of Peterman Road, and bulldozers were needed to clear trees and brushes along the access road.  Police said they did not receive word about the derailment until several hours after it occurred.  The Johnson County Sheriff’s Department dispatched a car about 10 hours after the accident, only after hearing a report of a possible derailment on a police scanner.  Pat McDaniel, White River Township Volunteer Fire Department assistant chief, said the department never received a call.  She said Lt. Kevin Demaree went to the site Thursday afternoon.

         Railroad officials said their policy is to call police only if property or area residents are endangered by a fire, hazardous material leak or other damage.  “Sometimes, people think of us as a public utility.  We’re a private company and if a wreck happens on our property without harm to anyone else, we don’t feel it necessary to call everyone out of bed in the middle of the night,” Ms. Westphal said.  Since the wreck did not block an intersection, the rail company did not call police, she said.  “Usually, police agencies are capable of monitoring our (radio) frequency.  I don’t know why they (the Sheriff’s Department) didn’t know about it sooner,” she said.  ICG had not determined an exact cause of the accident, although one workman at the site speculated the cars could have jumped a broken track.  That particular line, on which trains run about three times daily, had undergone extensive upgrading the past two years, ICG officials said.  But Ms. Westphal said coal cars, which weigh about 1 ton each when full, are hard on rails and ties.

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