NS Derailment Leads to Fire, Evacuations in East Palestine

Some residents of East Palestine, Ohio, were evacuated Friday night after a Norfolk Southern train derailed and caused a massive fire.

News reports indicated that the 32N derailed around 9 p.m. near the James Street crossing in the community of 4,700 on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border in Columbiana County.

A report on Facebook said the NS train crew was uninjured. The report said the crew uncoupled the locomotives from the train’s consist and moved them to safety.

Youngstown TV station WFMJ reported that the smoke was so thick that it showed up on the station’s weather radar.

East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway said anyone within a mile of the James Street crossing needed to evacuate immediately. Others were directed to stay at home and stay off the roads while the fire is cleared.

The evacuation zone was reported to be the area East of Market St from Highland Avenue to Jimtown Road.

One report indicated that 30 fire departments from Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia sent personnel and equipment to the scene to battle the blaze.

The train originated in Madison, Illinois, near St. Louis and was en route to Conway Yard near Pittsburgh.

East Palestine is located about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh on the NS Fort Wayne Line.

NS was reported to be rerouting some trains via its Youngstown Line and the Cleveland Line via Bayard.

In a statement, NS said it was aware of the derailment and was “coordinating closely with local first responders while mobilizing our own teams. We will share more details as they become available.”

Amtrak said on Twitter that the eastbound Capitol Limited that departed Chicago on Friday terminated in Toledo. Passengers bound for Sandusky, Elyria and Cleveland were able to continue their journey aboard the eastbound Lake Shore Limited. The equipment turned at Toledo and returned to Chicago.

Likewise, Train 29 that departed Washington on Friday afternoon terminated at Pittsburgh and then returned passengers to Washington.

East Palestine officials opened two evacuation stations to accommodate displaced residents and the Red Cross was providing assistance. Some of the evacuees were taken by school bus to the gymnasium of a local school.

Another evacuation center was set up at the New Waterford Community Center.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was monitoring air quality near the derailment site.

An online report said some derailed freight cars landed on the property of the Leake Oil Company and struck storage tanks. Another report said the train severed a gas line.

The report said 50-70 cars were reported to be on fire with some cars carrying vinyl chlorine, a hazardous substance.

The crew of a westbound NS train the vicinity was able to stop its train and backup to safety after being informed of the derailment via radio.

Working off the NS in Canton

WE SD40-2 No. 6350 has entered the eastbound Norfolk Southern main in the NS yard in Canton on April 13, 2012. The crew will bring the train east and then back up into the NS yard to interchange cars. The 6350 was built for Canadian Pacific and later rebuilt by Alstom.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

September Day Railfanning in Northeast Ohio

Here are four photographs of trains that I saw in Northeast Ohio on Sept. 20, 2022.

The lot includes BNSF 7875 eastbound on the CSX New Castle Subdivision in Rittman, eastbound CSX 7238 east of Sterling, NS 5165 operating eastbound in Orrville, and NS 6314 on the west end of the eastbound NS local led by NS 5165.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

Northeast Ohio Triple Play

Here are three photographs of trains in Northeast Ohio on Sept. 30, 2022.

We see RJ Corman 3001 southbound south of Canal Fulton. The same train is later shown entering Massillon.

Finally, Norfolk Southern 5321 and its train are sitting in Orrville. This local works Smucker’s and an industrial park.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

No Injuries in NS Derailment in North Lawrence

No injuries were reported when a Norfolk Southern train derailed Monday morning in North Lawrence on the Fort Wayne Line.

The derailment occurred after a truck hauling a crane struck the train at a grade crossing in the 3700 block of Manchester Avenue NW.

Authorities said 19 cars derailed, including two that landed in Newman Creek.

Although a Stark County hazardous materials team was called to the scene, no hazardous materials leaked from any of the derailed cars. NS said the cars that derailed were empty

Several roads in the vicinity of the derailment were closed but were expected to be reopened by Tuesday morning.

The derailment occurred about 7:45 a.m. on Monday. One news report quoted fire department officials as saying the truck may have been traveling too fast down a hill leading to the crossing.

Following the derailment, Ohio Route 93 was closed between Orrville Street NW and Youth Street NW to allow heavy machinery to reach the site and remove the wreckage.

Heather Snyder, 51, of North Lawrence, told The Repository of Canton that she heard the crash from her home in the 4500 block of Clermont Street NW.

“I was getting ready for work and I heard the loudest noise I’ve ever heard,” she said. “My son and I went to take pictures.There’s tankers in Newman Creek,” Snyder said in reference to tank cars in the train’s consist.

An online report said the train was the 171, which originates in Conway Yard near Pittsburgh and operates via Columbus and Cincinnati to Chattanooga, Tennessee (DeButts Yard). The truck was reported to have been traveling southward when it struck the train.

A Trio on the NS Fort Wayne Line

Here is a trio of images made on from June 27, 2022, on the Fort Wayne Line of Norfolk Southern. No. 5321 is eastbound in Orrville with train C03. No. 6345 is eastbound in North Lawrence with train C67. NS 6308 is on the west end of NS 6345’s eastbound train. These trains are all locals.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

R.J. Corman Two for Tuesday in Massillon

Here are two with some fall color taken on Nov. 1, 2021, in Massillon. An R.J. Corman GP20 is entering a short stretch of Norfolk Southern at CP Mace as it heads south. In the other image, the 4119 has left the NS Fort Wayne Line and is branching back to Corman rails.

Photographs by Robert Farkas

Winter Day in Alliance

The 14N (left), 170 and an eastbound intermodal in Alliance.

Train 170 heading west.

Train 64N on the Alliance runner.

Train 6K4 taking the Cleveland single.  It would get a new crew about 7 p.m. then reverse back onto the mainline to continue east.

Last Saturday (Feb. 5) I spent the day in Alliance.

Upon arriving I found an eastbound intermodal sitting on Track No. 1 and another eastbound moving slowly on Track No. 2.

The reason for this soon became apparent as train 14N was sitting on Track 1 blocking every railroad crossing in town. It had broken several air hoses and had gone into emergency. 

Also sitting on Track 2 east of town was the 170 waiting to go west.  The slowly moving EB train was taking the runner track, a long siding for parking trains, to get around the 170.

After about an hour, the 14N was able to get moving and continue east; However it would need a new crew before reaching Conway.

Once the 14N cleared, the 170 was able to continue west. The 170 takes the Fort Wayne line to Canton and 14N was blocking his move.

The 170 crew was also on short time and ended up tying down at Freshley Road west of town.

Other trains had backed up behind the 14N including 64N an oil or ethanol train.

This train then took the Alliance runner previously used by the intermodal and tied down to wait for a  new crew. 

A little later train 6K4, another oil or ethanol, took the Cleveland single and tied down on the Mahoning siding south of town. 

An empty coal train came an hour or so later, which picked up this crew.  The 6K4 had a GP38-3 leading some Canadian National engines, which was interesting.

Another train that I had hoped to get was the 171 which had the Virginian heritage unit.  Alas it sat in Canton all afternoon before getting a new crew and going through Alliance about 5 p.m.  I had left by then. 

Article and Photographs by Todd Dillon

NS Local in Orrville

We’re back trackside in Orrville and watching the local at work. In the image above, the train is moving eastbound on the Fort Wayne Line.

Photograph by Robert Farkas

R.J. Corman Two for Tuesday

It is Oct. 19, 2021, in Orrville. R.J. Corman’s Wooster Local is rolling westbound on the Fort Wayne of Norfolk Southern, which the Corman uses to reach Wooster.

In the county seat of Wayne County the Corman will serve shippers located on the remnants of a Baltimore & Ohio line that is mostly abandoned elsewhere.

GP16 No. 1804 is on the east end of the train while GP20E No. 4119 is on the west end.

The heritage of these locomotives is Seaboard Air Line and Southern Pacific respectively.

Photographs by Robert Farkas