Freight Class I Union Pacific locomotives wind up in river after hitting rockslide in Colorado

Union Pacific locomotives wind up in river after hitting rockslide in Colorado

By Trains Staff | December 5, 2025

The crew was not injured in the wreck near Grand Junction, Colo.

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A pair of Union Pacific locomotives wound up in the Gunnison River near Grand Junction, Colo., after hitting a rockslide on Dec. 2. Grand Junction Fire Department via Facebook

WHITEWATER, Colo. — A Union Pacific train crew escaped without injuries this week after their train hit a rockslide and derailed, with both locomotives winding up on their sides in the Gunnison River.

“Around 11 p.m. MT Tuesday evening, a Union Pacific train encountered a rockslide south of Whitewater, Colorado. The Union Pacific crew onboard was not injured,” railroad spokeswoman Kristen South said in an email. “Two locomotives and five loaded rail cars hauling coal derailed in the incident and some fuel has leaked. Emergency services from Grand Junction and Mesa County, along with Union Pacific crews, are responding to the incident, which is under investigation.”

The derailment occurred south of Grand Junction, Colo., on UP’s North Fork Subdivision.

A Union Pacific train derailed on Dec. 2 near Grand Junction, Colo., after hitting a rockslide. Grand Junction Fire Department via Facebook
Members of the Grand Junction Fire Department remove the engineer’s door on one of the Union Pacific locomotives that derailed into the Gunnison River in Colorado on Dec. 2. Grand Junction Fire Department via Facebook

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