UP freight train derails in Colton

UP freight train derails in Colton Eight cars of a Union Pacific freight train derailed Monday in Colton, spilling a load of wheat, causing a precautionary power outage and forcing the evacuation of homes near the site.
   The engineer engaged the train's brakes when he acted on an urgent radio message intended to stop a different train, fire officials told the Riverside Press Enterprise. The UP freight train, negotiating a curve just south of downtown Colton when the brakes engaged, derailed shortly thereafter around 11 p.m. Colton is located about 60 miles due east of downtown Los Angeles.
   Six of the eight derailed cars were empty. One tipped over against a utility pole that carries some of the city's main 12,000-volt transmission lines.
   As a precautionary measure, power to the lines was shut off for about an hour, cutting power to an area of about five blocks. Ten homes adjacent to the site were evacuated for a short time.
   No injuries were reported due to the derailment and no homes were damaged, according to the fire department.