Update: Train Derails Near Plum Creek Park in Kent

A broken rail is the suspected cause of a train derailment that happened early Thursday morning near in Kent.

Bill Callison, president of the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad, said they believe a broken rail is what caused two engines and two cars in a 27-car train loaded mostly with scrap metal to derail at about 6 a.m. Thursday

No injuries were reported.

Callison said he expects the cleanup and repair will take about 24 hours. He did not have an estimate of the damage done in the accident.

The train was traveling south on the Wheeling and Lake Erie tracks when it derailed before 6 a.m. The two cars that derailed were filled with sand, Callison said.

Kent Police Lt. Paul Canfield said city service crews closed the park after the accident so track crews could get cranes in to lift the derailed cars back onto the tracks.

The section of track where the accident happened is somewhat isolated, and the derailment did not involve any city streets or private property.

"Nothing like the Newton Falls one," Canfield said, referring to a derailment this week in Newton Falls that involved a few cars tumbling off a railroad overpass and onto a city street.

Kent Fire Chief James Williams said his only concern was with the potential for fuel or oil leaks from the two engines when crews lift them back onto the tracks.

Williams said the fire department asked the railroad to dig a ditch where the derailment occured to contain any potential leaks.

“But we’re not expecting anything, so we’re just monitoring the situation,” Williams said.