UP Train Derail In Southwest Arkansas GURDON, AR -- A train carrying flammable liquids derailed Sunday near a residential area, causing churches to cancel services and prompting evacuation orders for 200 residents, officials said. Residents were allowed to return home later in the day. Six tanker cars on the 85-car Union Pacific train derailed near the center of town about 08:10, according to Joe Arbona, an official of the Omaha, Nebraska-based railroad who was called to the scene. He said two of the cars carried motor oil, two contained methylmethacrylate and one was loaded with acrylic acid. Acrylic acid and methylmethacrylate are chemicals are used in the production of plastics, coatings and adhesives. No injuries or leaks were reported. Officials don't know yet what caused the derailment, he said, and won't reach a conclusion until the contents of event recorders in the locomotives are analyzed. Those devices are similar to the "black box" recording devices carried by airplanes. At least four churches canceled Sunday services, police said. The train was traveling from Houston to Little Rock, according to James Barnes, a railroad spokesman. Gurdon is about 70 miles southwest of Little Rock. To view a photo of this derailment, click on the following link: http://www.foxnews.com/images/233121/1_21_102206_pa_derailment.jpg - The Associated Press, The New Orleans Times-Picayune, AP Photo from FoxNews.com
