By Pat Maurer
Correspondent
A train derailed in the Village of Farwell last week, but “there was no danger to the public, no injuries, and no leaks due to the accident.
It happened at Lear Corporation’s railyard siding around 1:50 am, Thursday, Emergency Services Homeland Security Division Director Jerry Becker said. He said a problem with the rails on the siding caused the engine and train cars attached to the engine to come off of the rails.
Becker said he was called out along with the Clare County Sheriff’s Office, the Surrey Township Fire Department, and Great Lakes Central Railroad officials and police were also at the scene.
The derailment blocked Corning Road until the engine and cars were put back on the track around 11 am the next morning. “GLCR officials brought in another engine and used it and a ‘wedge’ to pull the engine and attached cars back on the rails.
The siding where the derailment happened was not on the main track, and the cars had all been unloaded, Becker said.
He said the main tracks are owned by the Michigan Department of Transportation and leased to Great Lakes Central Railroad. The siding is owned by Lear Corporation.
Becker said the Village has been the site of at least two other derailments in past years. One in the early 2000s was carrying low-level radioactive waste from a cleanup site.