An Amtrak train en route from Seattle to Portland was halted Saturday morning when it struck a downed tree about 5 miles north of Vancouver. The train did not derail, and no injuries were reported.
The incident occurred at about 10:50 a.m. on a stretch of BNSF Railway main line track adjacent to a 75-foot bluff near the intersection of Northwest 179th Street and Krieger Road, according to emergency dispatch records and BNSF spokesman Gus Melonas.
Melonas said the passenger train struck the downed 50-foot tree, which was about 20 inches in diameter, doing damage to a portion of the “cow catcher” on the front of the lead locomotive engine.
“Typically, these trees will be knocked away,” Melonas said.
Amtrak spokesman Craig Schulz said the train — the 501 Cascades service — had 90 passengers on board. No injuries were reported to passengers or crew, he said.
BNSF Maintenance crews reached the difficult-to-access stretch of track, where they removed the tree and cut a portion of the cow catcher from the locomotive. Track inspectors were also on scene and gave approval for the train to resume at 3 p.m., according to Melonas.
Schulz said the train was delayed 4 hours and 45 minutes for the track to be cleared and inspected.
There are two mainline tracks in that area, and the second track was not obstructed, Melonas said. Other trains had been able to use the adjacent track throughout the day.
Melonas blamed the incident on super-saturated soils caused by one of the wettest winters on record.
