Three BNSF locomotives derail at Metolius

Three locomotives hauling a northbound Burlington Northern-Santa Fe train derailed at the Jefferson County town of Metolius Sunday morning, causing no injuries or spills but blocking the tracks for half a day, officials said.

The slow-speed derailment occurred around 6:50 a.m. as a BNSF train hauling general freight, traveling from Barstow, Calif., to Pasco, Wash., was picking up cars at Round Butte, said BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas.

Railroad crews headed to the site within minutes and found the locomotives off the rails but upright, Melonas said. The locomotives were leaning and off the track, but not on their sides, he added.

Melonas said they would be “re-railed with special cranes en route from Pasco,” and that the work was complete and the tracks reopened around 7:30 p.m.

Sunday’s derailment affected five freight trains that would travel through the area, the railroad spokesman said.

While there was “no leak or dangerous community situation,” Jefferson County sheriff’s Capt. Marc Heckathorn said Sunday morning the “biggest headache for those in the area is Eureka Lane is blocked by the train until they get it going again.”

The cause of the derailment was under investigation, Melonas said, though Heckathorn said it evidently was caused by “human error.”

Passenger train service was not affected, as Amtrak only stops at Chemult, after crossing the Cascades.