"Derailed CSX Train in West Virginia Hauled Newer-Model Tank Cars"

"An oil train was still on fire and leaking in West Virginia on Tuesday, a day after it derailed and erupted in flames, according to CSX Corp, which said the train was hauling newer model tank cars, not the older versions widely criticized as prone to puncture.

The train, which was carrying North Dakota crude to an oil depot in Yorktown, Virginia, derailed in a small town 33 miles southeast of Charleston, causing 20 tank cars to catch fire. Several were still leaking oil on Tuesday. All the oil tank cars on the 109-car train were CPC 1232 models, CSX said late Monday.

The CPC 1232 is the newer, supposedly tougher version of the DOT-111 car manufactured before 2011, which was faulted by regulators and operators for a number of years. U.S. and Canadian authorities, under pressure to address a spate of fiery accidents, are seeking to phase out the older models. The U.S. Transportation Department has recommended that even these later models be updated with improved braking systems and thicker hulls."

Edward McAllister reports for Reuters February 17, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"W.Va. Train Derailment Raises Safety Questions About Newer Tankers" (NPR)

"Fiery West Virginia Oil Train Derailment Raises More Safety Questions" (Los Angeles Times)

"West Virginia, Canada Derailments Renew Focus on Oil Tank Cars" (McClatchy)

"New Oil Train Blast Stokes Call for Safety Rules" (Politico)

"Fiery Oil-Train Crash Probed by U.S. Rail, Pipeline Regulators" (Bloomberg Business)

"Oil Train Fire Rekindles Push for Tanker Rules" (The Hill)

"Lawmakers Visit Oil Train Explosion Site" (The Hill)

"West Virginians Start Clean Up After Massive Oil Train Derailment" (Aljazeera America)

"W.Va. Oil Train Derailment Was 1 of 3 With Safer Tank Cars" (AP)

"Rail Cars On NTSB List of Most-Wanted Safety Fixes" (McClatchy)

"Train Carrying 3 Million Gallons of Crude Still Burning" (AP)

"Crude Oil Train Accidents Prompt NTSB Safety Recommendations" (Los Angeles Times: 1/23/2014)