Ohio 39 reopens after train derailment cleared between Loudonville & Perrysville

LOUDONVILLE (UPDATE 10 p.m.) — Ohio 39 reopened between Perrysville and Loudonville just after 6 p.m. on Saturday night.

The state highway was closed early Saturday morning following a train derailment. The road was clear and traffic flow resumed Saturday night.

Ashland County Sheriff’s Office received a call just before 3 a.m. Saturday reporting 14 cars at the end of an eastbound 135-car long train derailed just west of Loudonville near Young’s Sand and Gravel, according to Chief Deputy Carl Richert. The cause of the derailment remains under investigation.

No injuries were reported, and officials say there is no danger to village residents, but the train was carrying some chemicals and hazardous materials. Most concerning, Richert said, was a 25,000-gallon propane tanker that was punctured and leaking. By about 9 a.m., a majority of the propane had leaked out of the tanker into the air and onto the ground, Richert said.

Richert said a firefighter and a deputy used a gas meter to check nearby homes for propane and found no indication of problems. 

“Thank God there was no fire and we had no incidents,” Richert said. “No one had to evacuate.”

Sunpro, a Canton-based emergency response company, was called to clean up the scene. Among their first priorities, Richert said, is making sure the propane tanker is safe by removing the remaining propane and having a controlled burn in a nearby cornfield. 

The wrecked train will likely remain in the area several days, Richert said, with the cars being moved into a nearby field to allow railroad crews to work on the railroad. 

Ashland County Road 775, also known as Honey Creek Road, was closed for several hours but has been reopened. 

Traffic on Ohio 39 is being detoured north on Ohio 95 to Ohio 60. Richert estimated the road will be reopened around 6 p.m. Saturday. 

Loudonville Police and Fire departments, Perrysville Fire Department, Ashland Fire Department and the Ohio Highway Patrol also assisted at the scene, along with Northfolk Sourthern.