ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, March 20, 1996 TAG: 9603200046
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
Robert Wiatt heard the "kawump, wump, wump" of the 79 railroad cars and watched as they slid sideways and grew into a mountain of jagged metal and corn.
It was about 9 a.m. Jan. 7 and Wiatt had just trudged through the 18-inch snow to retrieve his newspaper.
Wiatt said he heard the train speeding toward the curve near his pasture and knew it wouldn't make it.
``Eight-thousand tons of corn is a powerful force,'' Wiatt said referring to the train's load.
Since the wreck, blamed on poor judgment by the railroad and the weather by the engineers' union, the cleanup has been a slow process.
Wiatt said he got a call about 8 p.m. from the railroad requesting permission to come on his land to begin cleanup and track repairs. Wiatt told the caller he would need a key to get inside the fenced property.
``At 2 on Monday - that's 2 a.m. - I get a call from a guy wanting the key,'' Wiatt said.
It was 3 a.m. before the caller arrived at Wiatt's door to get the key.
Wiatt said the railroad employees scraped snow from his drive to clear the way for equipment and tore up blacktop as well the family garden.
Wiatt and his wife, Virginia, lease the land where the rail cars tumbled. The wreck has rendered useless much of the pasture, he said.
The sight of tons of jagged steel and aluminum cars is captivating to Wiatt, who said he has snapped pictures throughout the ordeal. Unfortunately, the sight also enthralls passers-by who have ignored "private property" signs and driven in to take a look anyway.
``I think everyone in Montgomery County has come down to take a picture,'' Wiatt said.
Despite all the aggravation, Wiatt generally has a positive attitude.
``It doesn't happen every day, but once is enough,'' he said.
LENGTH: Short : 42 linesby CNB