R.J. Corman Emergency Divisions Respond to BNSF Recovery Efforts After June Derecho
Written by Jennifer McLawhorn, Managing Editor
R.J. Corman Emergency Divisions in North Dakota.
R.J. Corman Railroad Group
NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. - R.J. Corman Railroad Services' Emergency Divisions were deployed to help BNSF with recovery after a derecho swept through North Dakota on June 21, 2025 and blew over 832 empty hopper cars.
According to R.J. Corman, this is now the largest single derailment in U.S. history. In response, R.J. Corman deployed 26 personnel from the Fargo, Wichita, and St. Louis divisions. These crews used crawler booms, sidebooms, and track hoes in the heat and humidity to help with recovery. They worked on complete truck rebuilds on 412 cars. On July 11, field operations were completed.
Crews worked on “asset protection, safety, and schedule certainty.” These crews had to adjust their approaches during retailing in order to prevent car damage. They worked with BNSF to rebuild truck sets to the necessary standard. Additionally, R.J. Corman says supervisory teams “resolved field issues quickly to maintain momentum without compromising safety protocols.” The Class I “expressed appreciation” for R.J. Corman’s team efforts. R.J. Corman says this response by its Emergency Divisions shows its “commitment to delivering safe, timely, and customer-focused emergency response services across the nation.”
