As with the East Palestine derailment, there were no injuries, but unlike that derailment in Ohio, there was no release of hazardous materials and no immediate danger to the public, according to a Logan Township United Fire Department Facebook post three hours after the 1 a.m. incident, citing information from the railroad company.

“There is no need for evacuation, and residents may continue normal activities,” the post stated.

All the cars that jumped the tracks remained upright, according to Norfolk spokeswoman Kasandra Jenkins in an email sent mid-morning, in response to a Mirror request for comment.

Crews were on scene, with more en route, to investigate the incident and restore operations, according to Jenkins.

Cranes from Genesis Rail Services make their way to the Norfolk Southern derailment site east of the Horseshoe Curve on Friday afternoon. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Operations may have been at least partially restored by approximately noon, as a long westbound trailer train approached the scene of the derailment, about two miles west of Coburn — although that train slowed noticeably as it approached the derailment site.

Jenkins wrote in a later email that one of three tracks were operational as of 8 p.m. Friday.

Earlier, workers had been staging equipment around the Coburn grade crossing at Porta Road, near Toytown, while in the afternoon, they were staging equipment west of the derailment site, using an access lane from Veterans Highway, 0.8 miles below the Curve.

Logan Township Emergency Services responded to the incident and assessed it, but concluded there was no need for further action, according to the United Facebook post.

Norfolk Southern notified Blair County emergency services about the incident when officials of the company became aware of it, said United Chief Rusty Shoenfelt.

Crews work to clear the scene of a Norfolk Southern train derailment along the mainline near the Horseshoe Curve on Friday. Mirror photo by William Kibler

The derailed cars were confined to railroad property, Shoenfelt said.

Thus, “it turns into a recovery effort” on the railroad’s part, he said.

Despite a request from the Mirror, Norfolk did not say why the derailment occurred.

Shoenfelt said he didn’t know either.

A defective wheel bearing on a hopper car that overheated and failed caused the East Palestine derailment of 38 railcars, right on the Pennsylvania border, according to a National Transportation Safety Board article published June 25, 2024.

The site of a Norfolk Southern derailment east of the Horseshoe Curve on Friday afternoon. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

The derailment breached three railcars, releasing flammable liquids that ignited, causing fire to spread and leading to a decision to conduct a vent-and-burn on five tank cars carrying vinyl chloride — an action that “resulted in a mushroom cloud that towered over the town and surrounding area,” according to the NTSB article.

The decision to vent and burn was based on “incomplete and misleading information provided by Norfolk Southern officials and contractors,” and it turned out not to be necessary, according to the NTSB article.

Vent-and-burn should be a last resort, reserved for when a tank car is about to fail, according to the NTSB article, but Norfolk officials began planning to use the method shortly after the derailment, rejecting three other removal methods.

Several cars burned for more than two days, and the incident released hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the air, according to an online source. Residents within a mile of the incident were evacuated.

The railroad eventually removed more than 167,000 tons of contaminated soil and more than 39 million gallons of contaminated water from the area of the derailment, according to the source.

The incident cost Norfolk Southern approximately $1.1 billion, according to another online source.

The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board criticized Norfolk for actions it took during the board’s investigation of the incident.

A bipartisan group of officials, including a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania, a Republican congressman from Ohio, union leaders and municipal officials, including Altoona Mayor Matt Pacifico, held a news conference Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the East Palestine incident and encourage the passage of the proposed Rail Safety Act.

Its provisions include requiring two crew members to operate all trains; increasing the types of hazardous materials subject to enhanced safety protections; requiring railroads to use trackside equipment designed to alert crews to defective equipment as trains pass by; prohibiting railroads from setting unreasonably short time limits on inspections conducted on railcars, locomotives and brakes; and setting higher fines for safety violations, according to a news release from news conference sponsor, the Transportation Trades Department, a transportation labor federation.

At the news conference, Pacifico urged creation of a liaison post within the Federal Railroad Administration to help ensure that all railroad companies provide quick alerts to local public safety officials and community leaders when accidents happen.

The mayor cited a 2014 derailment of 17 railcars along 10th Avenue in Altoona that he learned about not from Norfolk, but from a reporter who called asking for comment.

“This is not about placing blame,” Pacifico said. “It’s about partnership — it’s about railroads being good neighbors in communities across the country by keeping us informed and involved.”

That is one of the keys for safety, he told the group.

Friday’s incident provided Norfolk an opportunity to do better, according to

Pacifico in a text to the Mirror.

“(T)o NS’s credit, I did hear from their government affairs person at 10:30 this morning,” he wrote. “Which I will say is more communication than we’ve received from them in the past.”

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.