Train Cars Derail, Fall into Potomac River in Harpers Ferry.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. Freight train derails and falls into Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, W.Va.

I've been away from the computer and the local news. This is the first I've heard of this.

This is not the bridge that carries the old Baltimore and Ohio Railroad - Wikipedia mainline over the Potomac River. You can see its pylons in the background. That line carries Amtrak passenger trains and MARC commuter trains as well as CSX freight trains. It was not affected.

The bridge on which the derailment occurred carries a freight-only branch that goes from the main line down to Winchester, Virginia.

Freight train derails and falls into Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, W.Va.

By Marissa J. Lang
Dec. 21, 2019 at 2:10 p.m. EST

A freight train derailed on a bridge near Harpers Ferry, W.Va., early Saturday, spilling two cars into the Potomac River.

A CSX locomotive heading east between Harpers Ferry and Brunswick, Md., had been towing seven empty grain cars across the Winchester and Potomac Railroad Bridge about 2:30 a.m., when the train careened off the tracks, CSX officials said.

Two of the seven cars hurtled into the water below, officials said, toppling over a footpath frequented by visitors to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

No one was injured, although part of the Civil War-era bridge crumbled in the crash.

Access to parts of several state parks — Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park and the Appalachian National Scenic Trail — will be limited as a result.
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Marissa J. Lang is a local reporter covering the D.C. metro area. Follow https://twitter.com/Marissa_Jae

#Breaking Video: CSX FREIGHT TRAIN DERAILMENT in #HarpersFerry on the Winchester & Potomac Railroad Bridge @ 3:30AM, NO injuries, locomotive remained on track. Recovery crews are working to secure dangling train cars #BreakingNews @nbcwashington @TomLynch_

Link to tweet

Gridlock
CSX: Tracks affected by train derailment at Harpers Ferry crossing over the Potomac River reopened Sunday
The Appalachian Trail footbridge crossing the river was destroyed and remains closed indefinitely.



This photo provided by the Washington County, Md., shows a freight line train in the Potomac River on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, near Harpers Ferry, W.Va. CSX said in a statement that there were no injuries as seven cars derailed early Saturday. It says all the cars were empty and no hazardous materials were involved. (AP)

By Luz Lazo
Dec. 22, 2019 at 11:45 a.m. EST

A rail bridge near Harpers Ferry, W.Va. that has been shut down since a freight train derailed early Saturday, spilling two cars into the Potomac River, reopened on Sunday, a spokesman for CSX Transportation said.

Officials said the investigation is ongoing; they have offered no information into what caused the seven-car train to derail.

“The clean-up of the area will continue until the area is completely restored," the transportation company said in a statement. “The CSX bridge did not sustain any structural damage, and we expect train traffic to resume today.”

[Freight train derails and falls into Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, W.Va.]

No one was injured, although part of a pedestrian bridge used by visitors to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park was destroyed and will remain closed indefinitely, the National Park Service said.
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The #AppalachianTrail footbridge crossing the Potomac River in @HarpersFerryNPS is closed until further notice due to a train derailment early Sat. morning. No injuries, but the bridge will need extensive repairs. More info soon at http://appalachiantrail.org/updates .

📸Carlyn Leigh Pate

Link to tweet

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Luz Lazo is a transportation reporter at The Washington Post covering passenger and freight transportation, buses, taxis and ride-sharing services. She also writes about traffic, road infrastructure and air travel in the Washington region and beyond. She joined The Post in 2011. Follow https://twitter.com/luzcita