Just after
midnight on December 3, 2025, the Region 8 phone duty officer received an NRC
report of a United Pacific Railroad coal train derailment that resulted in a
locomotive on its side in the Gunnison River. The derailment occurred at
a remote site several miles south of Whitewater Colorado. Two engineers
on the train were reportedly trapped in the locomotive.
The Initial NRC
report and communications with responding Union Pacific hazmat personnel en
route to the site indicated one locomotive in the river. Later reports
with on-site personnel revealed that two locomotives were in the river along
with several coal cars. On the morning of December 3, the Union Pacific responders accessed the site and deployed a
containment boom around the lead locomotive, which was discharging fuel
oil. The locomotives were reported to have 4,660 and 4,460 gallons of
fuel on-board, respectively.
A Region 8 OSC was deployed to the site on the afternoon of December 3.
