Grain spill near Glacier National Park cleaned up, BNSF says

BNSF Railway says it has removed all the railcars that derailed from its tracks on the border of Glacier National Park and the soybeans that spilled have been cleaned up.

Twelve trains derailed in the early morning hours of Oct. 12 about two miles from the Goat Lick just above the Bear Creek river access site on the Middle Fork of the Flathead.

Crews responded immediately and by later that day, large trucks with huge vacuums were on the ready to suck up the spilled grain.

“As of Monday afternoon, [Oct. 21], all derailed cars have been cleared from the location, and the soybean removal process has been completed. We are continuing to be in close communication with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the U.S. Forest Service on plans going forward as we head into the winter and early spring seasons. Bear fencing, game cameras and noisemakers are being installed, and the site will continue to be monitored in accordance with our mitigation plan,” BNSF Railway spokesperson Kendall Sloan said in an email Monday to the Hungry Horse News.

This derailment was the first major accident on the section of track from West Glacier to Marias Pass in several years.

Derailments in that area were far more common decades ago and in one spill, the company tried to bury the grain. It fermented and attracted a host of bears, some of which were then hit by trains.

Cleanup methods have since improved substantially, though it is nearly impossible to remove all the spilled grain.