Four ammonia cars involved in Manitoba wreck

Brandon, Manitoba-Two anhydrous ammonia tanker cars tipped on their sides without causing a major incident Oct. 22 when eight of the 77 cars on a westbound CN freight train derailed while pulling into the Brandon freight yard. CN officials reported that while there were no leaks from the two ammonia cars and two others that remained upright, emergency response crews transferred a small amount of the chemical into trucks as a precaution because of a hospital, homes, schools, and businesses located nearby. The other four cars were reported to be empty. CN spokesman Kevin Franchuk told Green Markets that recovery operations at the site were expected to be completed by late the next day, and that railway inspectors and a team from the Canadian Transportation Safety Board were conducting an investigation. He said there were no injuries in the incident, but couldn’t confirm press reports that students in six schools were held under emergency “shelter in place” procedures until around 4 p.m. and nearby residents were advised to remain inside. Police blocked residential streets and notified businesses and residents downwind, but there was no order issued to evacuate the area. Representatives of Koch Fertilizer Canada Ltd. and Westco Fertilizer were also on scene, but Franchuk didn’t know what role they took. He said he believed the anhydrous was being shipped out of Brandon.