BALFOUR, N.D. — Six cars of containers and one locomotive at the end of a CPKC freight train derailed near Balfour, N.D., on Tuesday evening, a railroad representative told KMOT-TV.
No injuries were reported. Three of the cars were carrying some items classified as hazardous, including lithium batteries, airbags, and four small drums of methanol, but none of those materials were spilled.
The incident occurred about 5:15 p.m. and is under investigation. McHenry County Sheriff Trey Skager told the station crews responded to a fire at the site, but that was quickly controlled.
Balfour, population 20, is about 40 miles southeast of Minot, N.D.
Before the merger CP had the fewest derailments of any class I railroad. Since the merger it seems like they’ve had the most.
Balfour, ND is on the Portal sub, which is Harvey, MN to Portal, the Canadian border. On at least what used to be CP’s primary route into Canada from Chicago to the Twin Cites to Glenwood, MN and on West. CP’s secondary route into Canada went North from Glenwood thru Thief River Falls to Noyes at the Border and eventually to Winnipeg.
The McHenry County referred to in the above article is in North Dakota – not quite Metra’s territory.
It was an attempt at sarcasm. Metra made waves at the merger hearing on how any mishaps on CPKC would cause undo traffic through Chicago. The fact that this derail is quite a ways from Chicago is why I was being sarcastic.
Just waiting on the presser from Metra any moment now.