Crews to work around the clock to reopen main CSX route

From Eagle I, WLAF’s Charlie Hutson shares an ariel view above the West Central Avenue rail crossing.

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – “Hoping for no HAZMAT (hazardous material) and no injuries were my first thoughts when the call came to us,” said La Follette Fire Chief Jimmy Pack. After five minutes on the scene Pack realized his hopes were a reality.

Just before 10:30am Saturday, train cars derailed from the railroad tracks that run through the heart of La Follette. The train eventually stopped with the engine sitting across the South Avenue crossing on the west end of town.

Heavy equipment rolled into town throughout the day on Saturday.

“We’re going to be down to one lane for a few days here on West Central Avenue and Highway 25W on the Jacksboro bound side,” said Pack. “There’ll be some more street closures, likely North Tennessee Avenue, until this can all be straightened out,” said Daniel Lawson with Campbell County Emergency Management Agency. Minutes matter in emergency and fire call situations, and the sooner these routes can be opened, the better, according to Lawson.

Around 6pm Saturday, crews had cranes ready to place train cars back on the railroad tracks at the West Central Avenue crossing.

Lawson said there was very good coordination between the departments for a situation that isn’t seen very often. “Officials with the Federal Railroad Association told us they were very impressed with our professionalism and how well we all work together,” said Lawson.

Beam crack on the Ivydale trestle

The trouble spot covers two miles from the Ivydale train trestle on the north side of La Follette to the South Avenue crossing. There were 102 cars and eight left the track. After the initial assessment, CSX officials realized that eight cars were unaccounted. They were located about a 100 yards north from the original train, two of those eight cars were on their side while the other six were still upright and on the track.

This damaged trestle, where the cracked beam was discovered, is likely what triggered the derailment.

“The conductor told us that he felt a huge flex in the train as it crossed the Ivydale trestle. A large crack in the beam of the trestle is what triggered the cars to jump the track and derail,” said Lawson.

These cars derailed at Tank Springs on the north side of La Follette. Notice the concrete trestles that the train broke is it came off the rails. These will be replaced by the cross ties and railing that arrived on Saturday afternoon. These two cars are part of the eight cars that broke away from the original train.

(WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 05/25/2024-7PM-PHOTOS COURTESY OF WLAF’S CHARLIE HUTSON)

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