This winter storm caused hazardous driving conditions on highways in eastern Oregon and parts of North Dakota, resulting in dangerous multi-car collisions and highway closure.
CASSELTON, N.D. Minutes after it rumbled through town on a frigid December afternoon, a westbound train laden with grain broke an axle, tossing grain cars into a jumble.
Written By:
Patrick Springer / Forum News Service | 6:00 am, Dec. 29, 2018 ×
A fire from a train derailment burns uncontrollably as seen in this aerial photograph Dec. 30, 2013, west of Casselton, N.D. Forum file photo
CASSELTON, N.D. Minutes after it rumbled through town on a frigid December afternoon, a westbound train laden with grain broke an axle, tossing grain cars into a jumble.
A short time later an eastbound train, loaded with crude oil from western North Dakota’s Oil Patch, was rolling toward the scene at 43 miles per hour.
Unfortunately, the oil train’s crew was using a different radio frequency than the grain train crew, so the oil train had no advance warning before it slammed into the derailed grain cars, derailing two locomotives and 21 other cars, including 20 tankers.