Union Pacific crews were working well past midnight Saturday following the derailment of about 30 railroad cars carrying coal Friday afternoon.
There were no injuries, but tons of coal was spilled from the cars in the area of East 1450 and North 1900 Road, close to the Lawrence Municipal Airport.
The cargo cars’ detachment from the engine “caused significant damage to the rails and the railroad crossing at North 1900 Road,” George Diepenbrock, spokesperson for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, said via email Friday evening.
Mike Jaixen, a spokesperson for Union Pacific, said via email just before 9 p.m. Friday that crews were arriving to begin the cleanup process and the incident was under investigation.
See more photos and a video from Friday at this link.
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