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| Derailed BNSF railroad cars near Ludlow on October 22, 2013. (Needles Desert Star) |
Needles Desert Star
NEEDLES — Two Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains traveling in different directions derailed near Ludlow Oct. 22. There weren’t any injuries.
The derailment happened about 3 p.m. Oct. 22 about 50 miles east of Barstow, near Ludlow. San Bernardino County Fire Department responded to the incident. Members of the Marine Corps Logistics Base Fire Department also responded, along with California Highway Patrol.
Lena Kent, spokeswoman for BNSF, said one train carrying grain was headed west to Fresno and had a total of nine cars overturn. The second train, headed east to Kansas, was carrying all kinds of freight. It, too, had nine cars overturn, she added.
It was mistakenly reported that it was a head on collision, but that was not the case, Kent said. The actual cause of the derailments is under investigation.
The two trains were on separate tracks headed in opposite directions, she said. Both derailments were close to one another but the cause was unknown as of Oct. 25.
Kent said there weren’t any injuries involved in the incident. There also weren’t any hazardous materials issues.
As with any emergency situation, crews worked through the evening to get the lines operational again, Kent said. The lines were reopened by the evening of Oct. 23.