Coal train derails near Olney
<p>Photo by Matt Baldwin - Derailed coal cars lie in a jumbled heap along BNSF Railway tracks just north of Olney on Saturday, March 1. Forty-five empty cars heading east from British Columbia derailed near the overpass crossing on U.S. 93 north of Whitefish, stopping traffic for at least 8 hours.</p>
Forty-five empty coal cars went off the BNSF Railway tracks just north of Olney around 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 1.
The derailment forced the closure of U.S. 93 as the incident took place at a railway overpass. Several derailed cars were still on the overpass, creating a potential hazard to highway traffic.
The incident occurred about 20 miles north of Whitefish and 40 miles south of the Canada border.
BNSF spokesperson Matthew Jones said no one was injured in the incident. He said the train was eastbound from British Columbia at the time of the derailment.
Troopers with the Montana Highway Patrol were able to divert motorists around the area of the derailment on Olney Loop Road. The highway was reopened to traffic Sunday morning after BNSF crews got the last coal cars off the overpass.
BNSF crews had the tracks open by Sunday evening. Amtrak’s Empire Builder passenger trains were held up in Whitefish and Spokane in the meantime.