Derailed train narrowly misses Amherst's main power feed, mass blackout (UPDATED)

AMHERST — Ten train cars derailed around 1 p.m. Tuesday in the midst of a winter storm that slammed Lorain County with snow and ice. An eastbound Norfolk Southern train heading from Elkhart, Indiana, to Binghamton, New York, went off the tracks just after passing under Route 58 in Amherst. Fire Chief Jim Wilhelm said no hazardous materials spilled — five of the cars spilled grain on the tracks, but it quickly became apparent there was no serious risk of an explosion on the tracks. Mayor Mark Costilow was relieved for another reason. The crashed train cars narrowly missed the main electrical feed that provides power to Amherst's 12,000 residents. They missed by about 50 feet. "We really did get lucky here," Costilow said. "It would have been a catastrophe to lose power citywide in the middle of a snowstorm." Working with the Lorain County Emergency Management Agency, the city has emergency response plans in place for just such a disaster, he said. It would provide generators and shelters to keep people warm. But those plans would be unlikely to hold up under the added pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic, when potentially hundreds of displaced residents would have to huddle together in public spaces, Costilow said. "That (the train) missed and we're OK is nothing short of a Christmas miracle," he said. No injuries were reported to the train crew. The cause of the derailment is under investigation, according to a statement from railroad Media Relations Manager Rachel McDonnell Bradshaw. Norfolk Southern declined assistance from the Amherst Fire Department. It did not release a cause of the crash. Wilhelm said the wintery conditions probably contributed to the derailment, but any number of factors could have been involved. During his four decades on the department, there have been four train derailments in the area just east of Route 58, he said. "That's always made me nervous there," he said. "It's always been in the back of my mind that it could happen again." He said the crash "chewed up the track" and large machinery had been called in to right the train cars. Repairing the tracks and ties could take days, he said. Costilow said that the derailment highlights Amherst's need for a second main power feed into the city. That upgrade is in the works as the result of a deal with AMP Transmission, which purchased the city's high-voltage transmission lines. AMPT is acquiring land and reviewing several possible routes for a second main feed on Amherst's west side, which would prevent massive blackouts. The project is on track for completion in 2023, Costilow said. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.