After several weeks of work, the site of a serious train derailment on Highway 99E between Canby and Oregon City has been cleaned up, and operations have returned to normal.
The wreck occurred early on the morning of Jan. 6, near South End Road, when a Union Pacific mixed freight train collided with a large tree that had fallen on the tracks, resulting in the derailment of three locomotives and 15 rail cars.
The train’s locomotive engineer experienced pain and stiffness after the incident, but was treated and released at the scene. No other injuries were reported.
The train was mostly loaded with lumber and wood products. No hazardous materials were involved.
UP regional spokesman Tim McMahan told The Canby Current this week that the track reopened by Jan. 8, and that the rail cars involved in the derailment were “cut up and removed from the site” by Jan. 22.
“The wood in those rail cars was offloaded and transported off-site, where it will be chipped to dust, taken to a recycling mill and used to generate energy,” McMahan said.
McMahan does not believe the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident, he said.
