Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 8, 1994 TAG: 9401080220
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ALTAVISTA LENGTH: Short
Robin Chapman said equipment was being brought to the site off Virginia 696 near Tabor to right three locomotives and 25 cars that derailed about 3:35 a.m. Friday.
The accident occurred when the train hit a boulder that had fallen from a hillside onto the tracks, Chapman said.
The engineer, C.R. Craft, was admitted to Lynchburg General Hospital for observation after complaining about back pain. He was listed in satisfactory condition Friday evening, hospital spokeswoman Bonnie Tate said. The conductor, D.L. Jones, and a trainee, J.T. Borum, were treated at the hospital for minor injuries and released.
Chapman did not know how many cars the locomotives were pulling, but coal trains typically have about 170 cars. The eastbound train was fully loaded, he said, with each car containing about 100 tons of coal.
Chapman did not know how much coal spilled. About 500 gallons of diesel fuel spilled but was quickly contained, he said.
The derailment occurred several hundred yards from the Roanoke River. Chapman said none of the spilled fuel reached the river.
The train originated in Bluefield, W.Va., where coal is brought from several mines for shipment to Norfolk.
by CNB