Grafton & Upton: Locomotive, 2 tankers derail

Grafton & Upton: Locomotive, 2 tankers derail

GRAFTON — A locomotive and two tankers derailed near Route 140 about 2 p.m. yesterday. One of the tankers contained alcohol, according to Grafton & Upton Railroad owner Jon M. DelliPriscoli. The other was carrying a phosphorus acid.

Nothing leaked from either tanker and there were no injuries.

The locomotive was disconnected from the two tankers and moved away so officials could work to upright the tankers. Officials later called off efforts to clear the area when attempts to right the cars with a heavy-duty industrial wrecker failed, according to Douglas P. Pizzi, spokesman for the Grafton & Upton Railroad, a privately owned short line railroad that runs 16-1/2 miles from North Grafton to Milford. He said a rail crane would be brought to the site on Monday to lift the tankers off the track until it can be repaired.

The accident was caused by “rail spread,” he said, which happens when the rails are pushed apart by the weight and force of the rail cars traveling over them. The train was moving at about 5 miles per hours when the derailment occurred behind the Grafton Inn. Mr. DelliPriscoli said he believed drainage from the recent rain caused problems with the track. The owner called the incident a simple derailment that did not require reporting. The locomotive was heading to a trans-loading yard in West Upton where the cargo was to be transferred to truck.