Seven railcars derail at Globe yard

On the evening of Sept. 26, a train derailment occurred at the Arizona Eastern Railway Globe Yard, which is across the street from the Globe Active Adult Center on south Broad Street. 

At approximately 8 p.m., an AZER train traveling westbound derailed seven railcars. The 62-car train was hauling copper concentrate as well as empty cars, according to a spokesperson for AZER. He said that there were no injuries and no threat to the public. 

The crossing at Ruiz Canyon Bridge, near Connie’s Store, was impacted but cleared by the next day. In the meantime, traffic was rerouted through Beer Tree Crossing. 

To mitigate the situation, another train was brought to break up and move the portion of the train that wasn’t affected, followed by rerailing the cars that had left the track. 

The crossing and bridge were cleared by 1 p.m. and service along the line was restored. The AZER spokesperson stated that the railway was able to “use a siding to get around a portion of the main line where the incident occurred, which was subsequently impacted by the flooding.” A siding is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line.

A thorough investigation into the incident is still underway, according to the spokesperson for AZER, but preliminary results point to a mechanical issue on one of the railcars as a likely cause.