- An investigation into a train derailment in rural Maine is being blamed on a beaver dam. The April 2023 crash occurred in the dense forest of southwest Maine when a half dozen train cars carrying lumber and electrical wiring fell off the tracks.
- State officials said a massive flow of water created by a beaver dam washed out the rail tracks which caused the train to derail.
- About 500 gallons of diesel saturated the soil and also flowed into nearby bodies of water.
Full Story
An investigation into a train derailment in rural Maine, which injured three workers and caused hundreds of gallons of fuel to spill, is being blamed on a beaver dam.
The 2023 crash occurred in the dense forest of southwest Maine when three locomotive engines and a half a dozen train cars carrying lumber and electrical wiring fell off the tracks.
The three workers hurt were treated and released after the crash, but environmental recovery efforts wrapped up in late 2024.
How did the dam cause the derailment?
State officials revealed on Wednesday, Feb. 12, a massive flow of water created by a beaver dam washed out the rail tracks which caused the train to derail.
What did the cleanup and repair efforts entail?
Some 500 gallons of diesel saturated the soil and also flowed into nearby bodies of water.
Officials said they have since installed new culverts under the tracks and the stream bed was restored.
As of November 2024, state officials said all water crossings and effected infrastructure were back up to standards. The complete restoration of the area wrapped up on Dec. 23, 2024.
Railway owner Canadian Pacific Kansas City led the cleanup and repair efforts.
