'It Was So Loud': Marlow Residents Describe Moments When Train Derailed

A train derailment in Stephens County sends multiple rail cars off the tracks. It happened near Highway 29 and Railroad in Marlow Sunday afternoon across the street from several homes.

Darlene Black was inside her home when she heard it.

"It was so loud, kind of like a boom, like loud thunder but so much louder," she said.

Lalla Thompson felt it.

"It felt kind of like a small earthquake there for a minute," she said.

But Geanie Allen saw the whole thing from her front porch.

"All of a sudden the wheels took off out from under the car and into my parents' yard," she said. "And those cars look like dominoes, they just kind of like in slow motion just fell and crumbled."

Drone footage provided by viewer Nathan Mackey shows the magnitude of the crash where we counted up to 12 massive rail cars from the back of the line off the tracks, spilling grain, flour and dirt.

"We were kind of froze for a minute 'did we just really see that?" said Allen.

Marlow Fire Chief Jason Miller said about a mile before the derailment the cars were sparking small grass fires along the track.

"Something was apparently sparking through there, we had firetrucks down the line, making sure we got those spot fires put out," Chief Miller said.

The line is operated by Union Pacific and crews with the railroad quickly arrived to begin assessing the damage and investigate what happened. But the biggest issue right now is the train blocking several intersections.

"We probably got another quarter mile a train further out that's got the majority of our crossings blocked right now," he said.

Miller said the railroad company is sending 10 semis full of large equipment to clear the cars. But residents still can't believe it happened.

"It's wild, it's crazy but I'm thankful nobody got hurt," said Thompson.

Miller said removing the cars is expected to take several days.

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates. 

Photo courtesy of Tamara Wilson.