Rail spill includes tons of turkeys

Cleanup of a train derailment in the Middle Fork Flathead River corridor progressed Thursday, with BNSF Railway projecting the line would be reopened by this morning.

By Thursday afternoon, 10 of 19 cars that derailed Wednesday about 4 miles west of Essex had been re-railed; the remaining cars will be scrapped and hauled away, according to BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas.

The derailed cars were carrying two large farm tractors, plastics, particle board and grains. Two cars were loaded with frozen turkeys and chickens that must be removed by dump trucks, Melonas said.

Carrying that out requires reopening an old access road to get trucks and loaders to the site.

“The process will be rapid as possible to avoid any conflicts with wildlife,” Melonas said.

The Flathead County Landfill could receive as much as 200 tons of frozen poultry from the derailment, Public Works Director Dave Prunty told county commissioners Thursday.

Prunty said he had been called by a BNSF Railway employee Wednesday asking if the meat could be hauled to the landfill.

“We take dead animals,” Prunty said. “We can take that meat.”

Prunty said he warned the BNSF worker that grizzly bears could be leaving their dens and would find that meat attractive.

Prunty said it could be next week before any meat arrives at the landfill because of the logistical challenges of hauling it out.

Cindy Mullaney, deputy director of the county’s Office of Emergency Services, told commissioners that oatmeal from one train car spilled into a creek.

“Our cutthroats will have lower cholesterol this spring,” Commissioner Jim Dupont quipped.

Two cars hauling hazardous materials weren’t damaged in the derailment, Mullaney said, alleviating that concern for county emergency workers.

The derailment of the 115-car train shut down freight and passenger train traffic between Havre and Whitefish.

Amtrak Empire Builder passengers were being bused between the two towns while some freight trains were being re-routed to the Montana Rail Link line in southern Montana.

The derailment initially was thought to have been caused by an avalanche, but BNSF has ruled that out and still is investigating the cause.