Community Corner

UPDATED Photos of Corn Cleanup at Fridley Train-Derailment Site

Rail cars' contents and even some cars remain west of Rice Creek crossing.

(Updated below) A contractor was at the site of the Monday, cleaning up corn just west of the Rice Creek crossing that collapsed when the freight train left the tracks. A dump truck slowly filled with spilled grain from the shores of Locke Lake, while nearby two Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail cars remained on their sides just west of the Rice Creek crossing.

Monday marks a week since the first freight train crossed the repaired derailment site. BNSF spokesperson Steven Forsberg said it's a typical timetable:

That is normal cleanup following a derailment. It will continue [until] all equipment [and] spilled material is remvoved. It can take several days.

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On July 20, Fridley Police announced the lifting of a ban on recreational use of Rice Creek near the accident site and offered this information:

"[T]he advisory against recreational use of Locke Lake has been lifted. [The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency] believes that ultimately very little diesel fuel actually reached the water, with the bulk of what leaked out of one engine being contained in the road bed and surrounding soil. The second engine's tanks were not breached and did not leak any diesel.  MPCA examined the scum that accumulated along the lake shore and found that to be mostly corn dust. They believe it contained just enough diesel fuel in places to give it that odor. The booms have been removed from the lake.

Find out what's happening in Fridleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Update (11 a.m. Tuesday): For more derailment-cleanup photos, including a time-lapse video, see John D's Flickr page

For a video of cleanup work about 10 hours after the derailment, see . The corn-removal was underway then.

Update (3:30 p.m. Tuesday): BNSF spokesperson Amy McBeth had this update on Tuesday afternoon:

The clean up continues. Crews are still working to remove the corn and cars.


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