Photo from the Minot Daily News shows the scene of the derailment that killed one local resident and injured two rail crew members.

MINOT, N.D. -- An early morning derailment of a 112-car CP Rail train on January 18 near here has apparently taken the life of one local resident, injured two rail crew members, and caused officials to order the evacuation of a portion of the city of Minot.

According to BLE Special Representative Dave Ditzel, who is representing the BLE Safety Task Force at the scene of the accident, some 30 cars derailed in the accident, including approximately 15 tank-cars of anhydrous ammonia, some of which ruptured, causing a release of toxic fumes, which later covered a significant portion of the city.

There were many reports of injuries due to the toxic cloud that spread in the hours after the derailment. John Grabinger, 38, was found dead in his yard, and tests to determine if his death was related to the derailment are still pending. Reports in the local press following the 1:47 a.m. derailment indicate that by as early as 3 a.m., many people were already seeking medical care. More than 100 persons were treated in the emergency room at the local Trinity Hospital, where 15 persons were admitted, some in the intensive care unit. Others sought medical attention at the nearby Minot Air Force Base hospital.

Also injured in the accident was BLE locomotive engineer J. A. Olson of Division 160 (Harvey, N.D.), who was operating the train at the time of the derailment. He was subsequently released from the hospital. The conductor, who had more serious injuries, required further treatment.

The CP Rail train, which had originated in Edmonton, Alberta, with a destination of St. Paul, Minnesota, was traveling eastbound in air temperatures between five to ten degrees below zero, as it approached the location where the derailment occurred. After the derailment, the train crew members were able to detach the locomotive power consist from the train and use it to escape the immediate area, including the expanding toxic vapor cloud.

At BLE headquarters in Cleveland, BLE President Don Hahs commended the prompt action of the train crew to remove themselves from harm’s way. "Had they not acted quickly to get out of the area, we would surely have had a much more tragic outcome to this derailment," he said. "Train crews each day routinely move hundreds of tons of hazardous materials, and in virtually in an instant of time, they can find themselves in a fight for their lives," he continued. "This is a part of railroading that our people must live with each and every day they work, and something the general public seldom considers as they watch trains go by them at grade crossings, or pass through various towns and cities in Canada and the United States."

In speaking of the locomotive engineer, J. A. Olson, BLE Division 160 Local Chairman Craig Thurow said, "Jim is a very dedicated and conscientious engineer, who is well liked by all of his co-workers. I speak for all the members of Division 160 to say we are concerned about the welfare of Jim, and all those involved in this incident."

Numerous government agencies mounted a large response to the accident including the Federal Railroad Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which sent several investigators from Washington, D.C. and other offices throughout the United States. The NTSB has assumed supervision of the investigation and has undertaken the process of accident cause finding. Typically, the process leading to a final cause determination by the NTSB can take up to a year complete.

The BLE has dispatched its Safety Task Force to the scene, where the BLE has been made a party-of-interest in the NTSB’s investigation.