A train pulling 94 cars derailed in the small Rensselaer County village of Valley Falls, prompting an extensive clean up effort that officials said could carry into Friday.
Ten cars left the tracks shortly after 10 p.m. Wednesday, and two of those containers wound up in the Hoosic River, presenting a difficult clean up job. There were no injuries, officials said. No homes were damaged.
State Route 67 between State Street in Valley Falls and County Route 11 were closed Thursday.
Genesee and Wyoming Railroad Services told Spectrum News 1 that a Berkshire and Eastern Railroad train derailed from the CSX tracks around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday.
While there were no hazardous materials being transported, the cars were carrying plastic resin, corn and vegetable oil, according to Genesee and Wyoming.
“There are more crews coming up from Pennsylvania with more heavier equipment to try an upright these cars and get this track back open,” Rensselaer County Public Safety Director Jay Wilson said.
It was a painstaking process, but progress was being made Thursday afternoon.
“They’ve got to try and get the pellets out of the one, they’re going to back truck that out,” Wilson explained. “Then, they’ve got to get the oil out of the other tanker that’s here.”
There are no concerns of hazardous materials, Wilson said.
“New York State Department of Health has been involved, Rensselaer County Health has been involved. So we’re just making sure there is nothing going on with the wells that are here locally. There are no concerns here at all,” he said.0
Valley Falls resident Marissa Castle heard what happened late Wednesday.
“I was getting my son ready for bed and we heard a big bang,” Castle said. “It’s the biggest thing we’ve ever heard.”
Castle has lived in Valley Falls her entire life, and now, a few minutes away from the scene. A friend lives much closer to the tracks.
“We called her to make sure she was good. She was sleeping and didn’t hear it,” Castle said.
Other than a 40-year-old story Castle’s dad shared with her, she’s unaware of any other issues with the tracks.
“I think they’ll investigate it as much they can, and fix whatever caused it,” she said.
In the meantime, clean up continues along what’s described as a very busy track.
“Their goal is to get this repaired and get this up and running,” Wilson said. “They might even have to push cars off to the side and recover them later on.”
A spokesperson for the operator of the train said Wednesday night that it is looking into the cause, and the state’s Department of Transportation is also investigating.
NEW VIDEO: I just gathered some new video which gives us a better look at the two containers that ended up in the Hoosic River last night. It appears the focus has shifted to these container over the past couple of hours.@SpecNews1Albany pic.twitter.com/7aLV9bpjqi
— Spencer Conlin (@SpencerReports) February 8, 2024