Anchorage Daily News

Three flatcars in an Alaska Railroad freight train bound for the Anchorage port derailed this morning, temporarily halting traffic in the surrounding area.

No one was injured when the cars, part of a train hauling some 200 military vehicles, left the tracks that cross Ocean Dock Road just outside the port entrance at about 11 a.m., according to the railroad.

A car that was blocking the road was cleared away in about 45 minutes, restoring the flow of traffic. The 40-flatcar train was traveling at about 4 mph at the time of the derailment, and the cause of the derailment is under investigation.

"It's not a real infrequent event, actually. It does happen," said railroad spokeswoman Stephanie Wheeler.

The derailed cars and track sustained minor damage, but the cargo belonging to Fort Wainwright's Stryker Brigade did not. Repairs to the track were expected to be completed this evening.

The Stryker and support vehicles were in one of nine trainloads being transported to the port to be shipped to California for a pre-Iraq deployment training exercise. The derailment did not interrupt those plans, according to the railroad.

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