Diesel spill from derailed locomotive was 400 feet from Susitna River

A fuel spill from a derailed Alaska Railroad locomotive came within 400 feet of the Susitna River, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC, reported June 9 in a situation report.

Railroad track embankment prevented the fuel from reaching the river and a culvert that allowed water to pass under the embankment was sealed off, the agency said.

The derailment and spill, estimated at 800 to 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel, happened at Curry Loop, at Mike 248 of the Alaska Railroad about 20 miles north of Talkeetna.

No injuries were reported among the three railroad employees operating the train at the time, and damage from the derailment was limited to a punctured 2,600-gallon diesel fuel tank on the derailed locomotive.

Based on the location of the puncture on the fuel tank, no further spillage is expected. The DEC said the puncture has been plugged to avoid any further release. An investigation is underway on the cause of the derailment.

When the accident happened the railroad staff notified the DEC and deployed absorbent mats, and additional support came from railroad section crews who arrived shortly after the accident. Spill cleanup contractor Alaska Chadux was on hand to provide assistance.

As of late Friday the two derailed locomotives had been placed back on the track and the work train with one locomotive was sent to Anchorage. The damaged second locomotive has been secured and remains at the site at Curry, with secondary spill containment equipment in place until an inspection can be completed.

The railroad has also removed roughly 200 feet of parallel loop and ramp track to allow for the excavation of contaminated ballast and soil. About 500 yards of ground material was excavated to secondary containment and 86 bags of soiled materials have been collected, DEC said.

The railroad is working with environmental response contractor Restoration Science & Engineering and DEC to complete the testing and remediation of the area.

No reports of effects on surface water have been reported, DEC said. No wildlife impacts have been observed either.

The Curry loop track provides rail access to a quarry used for ballast, riprap and gravel, and is not accessible from the Parks Highway. The railroad expects to complete reconstruction of the Curry loop and ramp track this week. The incident is not affecting operations on the Alaska Railroad’s main line.