Train derails; bridge out at Marietta
By Justin McIntosh, jmcintosh@mariettatimes.com
Eight CSX rail cars filled with coal derailed from their tracks near Ohio 7 outside Marietta early this morning, sending several of them crashing down from the Virginia Street train bridge which also collapsed onto the roadway below.
No one was reported injured in the incident that occurred around 2 a.m. The train cars contained only coal, so there was no threat of spilled chemicals or other hazardous materials. As a precaution, prior to moving any of the crashed train cars, CSX employees requested representatives from Dominion East Ohio come to the scene to check on a gas supply line beneath some of the wreckage, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
CSX officials on the scene and at the Market Street station would not comment this morning. No other CSX officials were available for comment at press time. The CSX line, which runs through Marietta’s Harmar neighborhood, is a main supplier of coal for the American Electric Power-Muskingum power plant at Beverly.
Local law enforcement officials were unsure about how the wreck occurred.
The accident actually occurred outside the city limits of Marietta. Two area volunteer fire departments, in addition to Marietta, were among the first to respond to the accident. The Ohio Department of Transportation and Ohio State Highway Patrol also responded to secure the area.
Jerry Ullman, assistant fire chief with the Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department, said he got the initial call around 2:30 a.m. and rushed to the scene not knowing what to expect. Upon arrival, Ullman said he was surprised to find the cars derailed and bridge collapsed, not to mention the coal spilled.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Ullman said. “I don’t think anybody in Marietta has seen anything like this before, this magnitude.”
With the site secured a few hour