Train partially derailed after striking rock

The front wheels on the lead locomotive of an Amtrak train headed to Seattle derailed Wednesday evening after it struck a boulder that had rolled onto the tracks in the Pinnacle area.

None of the train’s 256 passengers reported injuries, said Amtrak spokeswoman Karina Romero, adding that the train’s cars never lost power, lights, or heat.

The train was westbound from Chicago shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday when it struck the large boulder, which had rolled down from an adjacent slope near the tiny town of Pinnacle, which is located about five miles west of Essex on U.S. 2.

A derailment construction crew with equipment from Havre re-railed the lead locomotive, and crews with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad cleared debris from the tracks, said BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas.

The tracks were reopened to traffic Wednesday night, Melonas said. Besides the Amtrak passenger train, which was held up five hours and 55 minutes, five Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight trains also were delayed.

“Crews will inspect the track throughout the weekend to ensure slope stability,” Melonas said. “The line is open... and conditions are safe for operation” as of Thursday, he said.

Thirty-five trains use that stretch of track, which runs along the southern border of Glacier National Park parallel to U.S. 2 daily, Melonas said.