Train stopped for six hours after hitting downed trees

A train was stalled for six hours Easter morning when it collided with a downed tree from the storm that ravaged Cass County over the weekend.

According to Raquel Espinoza, the Senior Director, Corporate Communications and Media for Union Pacific Railroad, the train stalled on the tracks at 11:11 a.m. after hitting multiple trees blown over from the previous evening’s storm on its way through the Atlanta area. Espinoza said Monday that the train did not come off the tracks and no one was hurt.

According to an employee of Union Pacific who was on the train when the accident occurred, the locomotive hit two trees before coming to a stop approximately a quarter-mile from the last crossing right on the South edge of Queen City. The employee said the train was going approximately 25 miles an hour with the train measuring approximately 13,000 feet when it came to a halt.

At roughly 1 p.m., there was still debris at CR-4224 on the tracks where the train ran over the first tree before stopping after hitting the second tree. Right behind the tree was a second train waiting for the other to start moving again.

At 5:36 p.m., the train began to move again. Espinoza said that it takes a while sometimes to get started again since safety is a top priority for Union Pacific.