Seventeen train cars of scrap metal didn’t quite make it across Grand Avenue Thursday afternoon.
That’s because an engine in back derailed.
The derailment occurred at about 1:40 p.m., according to Assistant Fire Chief Ralph Black.
The train, owned by the Providence and Worcester Railroad, was headed south across Grand near East Street. An engine was in front of the 17 cars. An engine was in back.
Two wheels from the rear locomotive came off the track, according to the company.
That stopped the train — with the front engine poking out into traffic.
Cops and firefighters arrived on the scene. They closed down traffic in both directions for about half an hour as the back engine was separated from the rest of the train. Then the front engine went on its way. Grand Avenue was reopened.
Providence and Worcester General Counsel Marie Angelini characterized the derailment as “very minor. No injuries. No property loss. … If it’s not already rerailed, it will be soon.”
CSX Transportation and Providence and Worcester use those tracks, known as the Belle Dock Line, several times a week “to deliver products and pick up products East Street manufacturers and businesses,” Black said.