A blinding flash of orange light jarred Weyauwega residents awake before dawn on March 4, 1996. An 81-car freight train had been barrelling toward the farm town in central Wisconsin when it jumped a broken rail. The train’s propane and petroleum cargo had caught fire and exploded.
Gerald Poltrock II, a rookie local police officer, thought it was a prank when the dispatcher called to say the city “blew up.”
Read the complete story at CNews.
Related News
- Railroader Healthcare Costs Remain Stable While National Averages Soar
- Call to Action in Mass.: Transit Safety Legislation Up for Final Vote
- New Jersey’s “Vote Labor” Push led by SMART-TD’s Ron Sabol
- Better Short-Term Disability Benefits Coming in 2026
- 2025 Tentative Agreement Reached Between SMART-TD and Union Pacific
- Stand with Sister Nydia Sandoval on Monday!
- SMART Transportation Division Members Ratify New Five-Year Agreement with 18.77% Wage Increases and Enhanced Benefits
- Union Leadership Meets with New N.S. Trainees in McDonough, Georgia
- CSX Asks to keep Safety Reports out of the Crew Rooms, Injuries are Up, Fatalities Continue, and Transparency is Down
- WE WILL NOT “SHUT THE !#*$ UP AND DRIVE”!