MARLIN, Texas (KXXV) — A Union Pacific train jumped the tracks Tuesday afternoon along Highway 6 in Marlin, derailing 22 cars and ripping up sections of track. Officials say 9 of the cars remain upright.
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Drone footage captured by the Falls County Sheriff's Department showed the full scope of the damage, including cars scattered across the scene and sections of track completely torn from the ground.
Falls County Sheriff Jason Campbell said his department used a drone it received just 3 weeks ago to survey the wreck from above — a capability the department had never had before.
"We've never had the ability to get a 360 picture overhead, like I said, to get that breathe and scope of the disaster, so yeah I was shocked," Campbell said.
Campbell said the drone accelerated the response effort, allowing Union Pacific to quickly assess the damage and begin cleanup.
"One of the unique things about it is he was able to send the command staff a login, and we were able to see live what was going on, it pinpointed it on a map. It gave us both a visual recordings as well as the infrared spectrum," Campbell said.
"I was in awe of the technology. A close personal friend of mine told me, you know in a month we won't be able to imagine how we got along without having one, and that is certainly the case," Campbell said.
Campbell said the cargo appeared to be an agricultural product.
"From what I saw it looked like a corn mill, ground up corn. No hazardous material. The public was never in danger. It just looked like an agricultural product," Campbell said.
No injuries were reported, and officials say no hazardous materials were involved. The cause of the derailment remains under investigation.
Sheriff Campbell said Union Pacific plans to have the tracks repaired and operational by Thursday morning.
"My conversations with them today said that they are hoping to have it open before 9 o'clock in the morning," said Campbell.
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