Calhoun County, AL – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a preliminary report regarding the March 9th train derailment in Calhoun County. Two locomotives and 29 railcars were involved per the report. A total of three tank cars carrying hazardous materials derailed in the accident, but the cars remained intact and did not release any hazardous materials and there were no injuries. The report did say that it appears some of the train cars weren’t properly coupled. The NTSB is not blaming the recent train derailment in Calhoun County on improper couplers. They are saying that the trains, “were not equipped with alignment control couplers,” as required by Norfolk Southern protocols. Without those required couplers, the NTSB said the locomotive connections cannot proper lateral coupler movement under compressive in-train forces. Currently Norfolk Southern says the train derailment caused $2.9 million in damage. It could be several more weeks before the site of derailed train cars is back to normal as train cars remain on the side of the tracks and railroad crews continued to repair the track damaged by the derailment. The full NTSB report is not expected for at least another year.
