Train derails in Manor

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The train that derailed was hauling only stone and sand, which poured out of the six cars that left the rails Tuesday morning in Manor. 

The absence of hazardous materials allowed repair crews to move quickly, which allowed investigators faster access to the spot that caused the incident.

Local authorities suspect mother nature may have been a contributing factor.

“It’s a preliminary cause right now, but we believe its possibly due to the rain, saturated, the water, caused by the days of rain that we’ve had,” said Manor Police Sgt. Craig Struble.

The tracks are owned by Cap Metro. the train is operated by a Kansas based company called Watco which ships freight from Bertrim to Giddings. The rail cars that didn’t derail, did block several cross-roads requiring detours around manor’s old town district.

Company officials tell FOX-7 Austin that by Tuesday evening they hope to have a couple of locomotives on site to roll away the rail cars that are not damaged. That should eliminate all of the roadway detours that had to be put up.

The home of Sylvia Lopez and her family is located next to the rail road. From SkyFox Drone one can see just how close the derailment came to Lopez’s house. When the rail cars left the track- the noise jolted them out of a deep sleep.

“Well, it didn’t kick me out of bed, but it was loud. I mean it sounded like it had hit something really hard. I thought it maybe hit a car or something,” said Lopez.

Last year there was a train derailment along the same tracks in Manor but it happened on a different section. Living with the possibly of a mishap is something you just get use to according to Lopez. While she feels safe she said she still has vivid memories of the first crash she witnessed.

“But I was a young girl then, it dragged a car all the way over there, with the people still in it, but that was many years ago,” said Lopez. 

The fright rail line runs 181 Miles through Austin. The section that passed through Manor has been identified as a possible expansion for Metro Rail. 

A Cap Metro spokesperson said the derailment has had no impact on what would be called The Green Line. It was also pointed out that the Agency has no firm plans at this time to start commuter rail service in that direction.