LITTLE ROCK — Railcars jutted out in several directions and the once straight tracks zigzagged after a train derailed near Little Rock Central High School on Sunday morning.
The 32-railcar Union Pacific Railroad Co. train had nine cars derail near West 17th Street about 10:20 a.m .,Little Rock Fire Department Capt. Edwin Woolf said.
Woolf said two firetrucks responded and found that “all the cars were upright and there were no leaks” or injuries.
Raquel Espinoza, spokesman for Union Pacific Railroad Co., said the train was local, heading from a Union Pacific terminal in North Little Rock to Biddle Yard in Little Rock.
The railroad line was part of White Bluff Subdivision, which runs north and south, Espinoza said.
She said eight of the nine derailed cars were empty, with one carrying peanuts. Out of the 32 railcars, 16 were loaded and 16 empty, Espinoza said.
She did not have any information on what materials were in the other 15 loaded cars, but said “there were no hazardous materials on the train.”
Several wheels littered the ground, with at least two of the nine rail cars sitting perpendicular to the track.
Espinoza said the cause of the derailment is still under investigation and the damage to the track and railcars is still being assessed.
Arkansas, Pages 11 on 11/15/2010