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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Montana train derailment dumps 737 fuselages in the Clark Fork River

This Saturday, July 5, 2014 photo by Brock Sarbeck provided by Wiley E. Waters Whitewater Rafting shows a freight train that derailed near Alberton in western Montana, sending three cars carrying 737 fuselages down a steep embankment and into the Clark Fork River on Thursday, July 3. (AP Photo/Wiley E. Waters Whitewater Rafting, Brock Sarbeck)
Associated Press
MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) — Crews on Sunday will attempt to remove three Boeing 737 fuselages that tumbled down a steep embankment and into the Clark Fork River in western Montana after a train derailed. Montana Rail Link spokeswoman Lynda Frost said Saturday that it’s unclear the type of challenge involved because it’s the first time the company has faced such a task. No one was injured when 19 cars from a westbound train derailed Thursday about 10 miles west of Alberton. The cause of the derailment is under investigation. The train carried six fuselages. Three others also fell off but stayed on land. Frost says Boeing has had workers at the scene assessing the damage. The fuselages were headed to Renton, Washington, to be assembled into completed airliners. Thirteen of the cars that derailed were carrying freight that also included soybeans and denatured alcohol. Six were empty. Frost says the alcohol didn’t leak and no soybeans spilled.