Tracks reopen clean up continues after derailment

ELLICOTT CITY, Md - It's a test to see if the CSX tracks that run through the heart of Ellicott City can handle the load.

An 80 car train full of brand new autos passed through without a hitch.

Now it's a matter of cleaning up.

Coal stains everything.

The roads are black, the curbs are black and tons and tons of the stuff are piled up on the side of the tracks.

But that's not the only damage that Howard County wants cleaned up.

County Executive Ken Ulman says curbs the road ways were damaged by heavy equipment along with a city owned parking lot where a retaining wall was damaged.

He says once the track is reopened he says CSX still has a commitment to the county to repair all damages.

Under the bridge, Tiber Creek is damned off with sand bags and giant vacuums are sucking up coal and contaminated water.

The Maryland Department of Environment says that they were relatively lucky.

A spokesman says only about a half of one coal car fell close to the water and roughly about 100 pounds of coal actually went into the creek.

The coal itself is low sulfur so any damage to the creek is expected to be light.