Fallen railcars to be cleared by next week

Despite the re-opening of the track, the grain cars that derailed near Montesano May 15 have remained where they fell, and the spilled grain has begun to give off a foul odor. The railroad expects them to be gone by next Wednesday.

Genesee &Wyoming Director of Corporate Communications Michael Williams said the wheels, side frames and other components from the overturned cars were removed from the site near Devonshire Road May 29. The cars themselves have been waiting for the railroad to find a new home for the grain they carry.

“The cars have to be emptied of the soymeal before they can be moved,” Williams said. The removal was supposed to start Monday, but the location that was supposed to take the grain cancelled. A new location was found Tuesday, and workers began loading the grain yesterday.

That is expected to take about three days, Williams said, and the lifting of the cars themselves will begin either Friday or Monday. That will take another three days.

“Then the grain that’s on the ground — which is fermenting and not pleasant smelling, we apologize for that — will be completely cleaned up,” he added.

The grain is meant for animal feed and is not hazardous, he said.

The May 15 derailment was the third of four area derailments. A train passing in front of Walmart in Aberdeen derailed May 9 at 6 mph, leaving seven cars blocking an entrance to the store and knocking the track out of commission until May 14, Williams said.

Before that, five grain cars came off the tracks at 5 mph at South Washington Street just south of State Street April 29.

Most recently, 11 cars slipped off the track north of Centralia May 21.

The Federal Rail Administration is investigating the Grays Harbor County derailments. The Centralia incident was minor and damage was below the federal reporting threshold.