SAPULPA, Okla — A sudden partial train derailment put a pause on several main roads throughout the day in Sapulpa Saturday.
What was a simple pause at railroad crossings stopped the train literally dead in its tracks, all because of a single rail car that became dislodged from its axle, damaging parts of the track around 8:45 a.m. under the Line Avenue bridge, according to the railroad servicer Burlington North Santa Fe (BNSF).
It forced Sapulpa Police officers to manage the ensuing traffic disruptions.
“Taft Street, which is also Highway 117, and then there’s several small little neighborhood streets that cross the tracks as well that have been shut down,” Maj. Jason DeLoache told 2 News.
“The last train derailment that I can remember is probably 15 years ago in our city. So it’s been a while.”
The flipped car was Saturday’s main casualty, spilling some industrial sand. BNSF said no hazardous materials were being hauled and nobody was injured.
“I was not concerned. I was more concerned that more of the cars had flipped over. But it was only one car,” Sapulpa resident Susan Looper said.
Crews were able to move the rest of the train to clear the intersections just before 5:30 p.m. Saturday, after a nearly nine-hour stoppage.
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