Emergency crews are responding to a train derailment in downtown LeClaire.
About 11 a.m. Friday, reports of a train derailment in LeClaire were reported to the Scott Emergency Communication Center.
A chemical leak was initially discovered and is being mitigated by HAZMAT teams on site.
There were no injuries or fatalities as a result of the incident.
There’s a switch under the wreckage. WAG - if it was a northbound it might have picked the switch.
Fortunately, the cars almost all ended up in an open lot (although there may have been cars in the lot). Looking at the news image, if the cars had gone to the right of the track they might have taken out some buildings.
N 41.59855 W 90.34311
Old DRI&NW “DRI Line” now owned and controlled by CP. The geometry doesn’t allow them to go very fast (Max 40, but other restrictions south keep it below 25)in there, but the line was well maintained 136 CWR.
Noting TREE’s comment, all speculation at this point, was it the switch points out of adjustment or was it a sharp flange and the DPU’s putting the train in excessive compression[?]
(about 1000 ft, 3 blocks, from where certain “pickers” claim to call home[*-)])
Absolutely.
MC: Surely not![oX)] [:-,] I grew up hearing stories by my Father, of a certain area resident; who always seemed to show up at the “latest” MK&T RR derailment. {maybe, mishap?} His appearnces were on a somewhat ‘regular’ basis.
No accusations, but for someone in the de-rail goods, salvage business; it seemed overly fortituitous…His Karma seemed to always be working over time! [sigh][:-^][:-^]
Sam: you haven’t seen the show “American Pickers” (History Channel???)? They’re based out of a shop in Le Claire.
Sam: This picker shows up regularly on the History channel. Instead of the picker boys going to the stuff, the stuff was delivered to the cast (Mike Frank & Danielle) at their supposed place of business. (SSW of the derailment site) We were just having fun with where this happened and the “pick” comments. Cowinkydink?
Tree: shhh! The usual suspects have not shown up yet to hijack the thread.
Usual suspect #1 reporting in…
We missed this one by three days…had lunch at a trckside dive a short distance upstream from the area on December 31.
The pickers site is real; we don’t know about the people themselves. There’s a quilt store nearby…within walking distance, I might add.
Cody Road Bourbon Whiskey - This bourbon is made form a mash of 70% corn from Le Claire, 20% wheat from Reynolds, IL and 10% unmalted barley from Davenport, IA. It is aged for two years in newly charred 30 gallon oak barrels, about half the size of a traditional whiskey barrels at a lower proof than typical.
https://www.mrdistilling.com/spirits/bourbon-whiskey/
Thankfully the distillery was not a causuality of the derailment.
Their shop - Antique Archeology - is about three blocks south of the Buffalo Bill museum. As best I can tell, in the pictures in the link in the original post, the far end of the train must be stopped right about at their place.
Early this morning I saw a post on YouTube or somewhere that featured the radio conversation between the crew and the dispatcher concerning the wreck. This much is clear now:
–The train was northbound
–the switch was not involved–the crew thinks it was a broken rail. Their power did a bit of rough riding, then a while later the train went into emergency. The car next to the power was derailed.
–24 cars were on the ground, only three of which were loads. One of the loads was a tank car containing a caustic substance.