ARGYLE, Iowa — Service was restored on BNSF’s main line in the Fort Madison area on Wednesday after the Tuesday evening derailment of a train that blocked both tracks of the railroad’s Southern Transcon.
KHQA-TV reports the derailment occurred while the train was stopped because of a tornado warning, according to a BNSF representative. No injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were involved.
A BNSF advisory to customers indicates that the derailment near Argyle, on the railroad’s Marceline Subdivision, occurred about 6:07 p.m. on Tuesday. Both tracks were reopened about 4:35 a.m. on Wednesday.
Was it a mechanical or operational issue that caused the train derailment? Or a tornado itself that derailed the train? No details here on what actually caused the derailment?