Why Broad St was closed yesterday afternoon....

28 Rail Cars Derail Near Broad Street
No One Hurt; 1 Car Spills 100 Pounds Of Fertilizer Pellets
posted May 23, 2010

A CSX train passing through Chattanooga jumped off its track around 4:30 p.m. Sunday near the 3200 block of South Broad Street. The train had just passed under the viaduct at Chattanooga Creek and was headed toward Lookout Mountain around a curve when the mishap occurred.

No injuries were reported and there was no indication of any threat to the surrounding public.

CSX Railroad officials on the scene said up to 28 rail cars were off the tracks. Some of the cars tumbled onto their sides down an embankment, while others pushed their way on top of one another.

Battalion Chief Rick Sewell said that several fire companies responded to the scene, along with the haz-mat team, since trains often carry large loads of hazardous materials. In this case, CSX officials said most of the rail cars were empty. However, one car was loaded with ferrous sulfate, which CSX personnel said is used as a fertilizer.

Chief Sewell said the car carrying the fertilizer was damaged in the wreck and about 100 pounds of the pelletized material spilled onto the ground. Concerned that the spilled material could contaminate Chattanooga Creek, which is located nearby, an environmental cleanup company was brought in to clean up the spill. Chief Sewell said the rail car will have to be off-loaded before it can be moved back on the track.

Meantime, CSX personnel were being called in from around the region to deal with the derailment. No word on how long it will take to re-rail the cars and repair the track.

Chattanooga police had the southbound lanes of Broad Street closed for a time, but it was re-opened after it was determined the derailment posed no threat to the public.

CSX and possibly other agencies will be investigating the cause of the derailment.