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Train derails; bridge out at Marietta
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<b>Train derails; bridge out at Marietta </b> <br /> <br /> <br />By Justin McIntosh, jmcintosh@mariettatimes.com <br /> <br />Eight CSX rail cars filled with coal derailed from their tracks near Ohio 7 outside Marietta early this morning, sending several of them crashing down from the Virginia Street train bridge which also collapsed onto the roadway below. <br /> <br />No one was reported injured in the incident that occurred around 2 a.m. The train cars contained only coal, so there was no threat of spilled chemicals or other hazardous materials. As a precaution, prior to moving any of the crashed train cars, CSX employees requested representatives from Dominion East Ohio come to the scene to check on a gas supply line beneath some of the wreckage, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. <br /> <br />CSX officials on the scene and at the Market Street station would not comment this morning. No other CSX officials were available for comment at press time. The CSX line, which runs through Marietta’s Harmar neighborhood, is a main supplier of coal for the American Electric Power-Muskingum power plant at Beverly. <br /> <br />Local law enforcement officials were unsure about how the wreck occurred. <br /> <br />The accident actually occurred outside the city limits of Marietta. Two area volunteer fire departments, in addition to Marietta, were among the first to respond to the accident. The Ohio Department of Transportation and Ohio State Highway Patrol also responded to secure the area. <br /> <br />Jerry Ullman, assistant fire chief with the Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department, said he got the initial call around 2:30 a.m. and rushed to the scene not knowing what to expect. Upon arrival, Ullman said he was surprised to find the cars derailed and bridge collapsed, not to mention the coal spilled. <br /> <br />“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Ullman said. “I don’t think anybody in Marietta has seen anything like this before, this magnitude.” <br /> <br />With the site secured a few hours after Ullman arrived on scene, crews remained on the scene as daylight arrived. An orange fire hose, never used, remained uncurled as a precaution, and yellow caution tape blocked off the accident site. Four firefighters <br /> <br />sat along a guardrail talking, waiting for breakfast from McDonald’s to be delivered and sipping coffee. <br /> <br />Citizens of the Harmar area have been concerned for some time about the potential for a train derailment. <br /> <br />Longtime Harmar resident *** Wendelken, 71, of 697 Virginia St., said he can’t remember any previous derailments in the area. He said he was not surprised the train bridge collapsed. <br /> <br />“Let’s face it, that type of traffic is put on that bridge all at once and it wasn’t intended to hold that type of traffic,” Wendelken said, estimating the train bridge is at least 65 or 70 years old. <br /> <br />Though he lives only a couple of blocks from the accident and found the news intriguing, Dean Fritsche 66, of 403 Virginia St., had yet to see the derailment with his own eyes as of 5:30 a.m. Fritsche said he’d just as soon wait for the pictures to come out in the paper as the wreck will not personally affect him so he’d rather keep his distance. <br /> <br />Fritsche suspects the accident won’t cause any inconveniences for him, though others may be affected. <br /> <br />“Traffic’s real heavy in the mornings and the evenings,” Fritsche said, coffee in hand. <br /> <br />Stephanie Filson, spokeswoman with the Ohio Department of Transportation District 10 office in Marietta, said about 12,000 people travel along Ohio 7 every day, which results in some heavy spillover onto Virginia Street by people looking for an escape from the congestion. The last available traffic count for the Ohio 7 northbound ramp to Virginia Street estimated 1,730 vehicles a day, though Filson believes the number is slightly higher now. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Roads closed by train wreck <br /> <br />Ohio 550 exit ramp to Virginia Street. <br /> <br />Ohio 7 northbound ramp to Virginia Street. <br /> <br />Travelers who normally travel Virginia Street are urged to use the Washington Street bridge or Market Street to get into and out of Marietta. <br /> <br />Source: Ohio Highway Patrol. <br />http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new21_1219200583848.asp
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