The DM&E had a derailment at about 2:00 AM on 2/1/02 on the edge of Kasson MN. Which is just west of Rochester. A total of 21 cars derailed and/or left the tracks. No word on the cause as of yet . I was there today as clean up was going on, the right of way is completely torn up for quite a ways. The cars mainly involved (that I could recognize) were loaded grain cars (wheat) and loaded tank cars (sorgum). As of 2:00 PM 2/1/02 8 severely damaged tank cars and 2 demolished grain cars were pulled away from the right of way with a pile (11 cars) left to move .
I just hope critics of this expansion project see this as a sign of how badly this project is needed. Not just for the moving of coal but also to get the track up to par. The longer they postpone the DM&E from starting, derailments like these unfortunately may become more likely.