HARTFORD, Wis. (CBS 58) -- In Hartford, crews continue to work in the aftermath of a massive freight train derailment that happened on Monday. Around 9:30 a.m., near the intersection of Constitution and Independence Avenue, a train with three engines and 16 cars derailed.
As of Tuesday afternoon, crews were able to get all three engines back upright and onto the tracks. With cranes and excavators brought in from Rockford, crews were able to pick up the engines and get the cars off the railroad tracks.
Railroad Commissioner of Wisconsin Don Vruwink tells CBS 58 the train was likely traveling around 40 miles per hour when it derailed.
"That's what happens, because these trains can't stop that quickly, and so you get the weight pushing up against it. So obviously, you know, something had to be on the track, or was something was wrong with the track that caused this to happen."
That was a question many residents had, like 10-year-old Collin, who says he loves trains and wanted to see this for himself.
"How on earth did this actually happen? How did nobody get that badly hurt? How did they get out of this alive?"
Three conductors were hospitalized for minor injuries. Vruwink says this is the third major train derailment since he's been commissioner for the past two years.
The extent of the damage to the cars is evident, as cars had glass shattered, wheels missing, and metal smashed in. Collin described one of the engines as "absolutely annihilated."
Crews are now assessing if they can save any of the products the train was carrying and will focus on fixing the track.
Vruwink shared, "Usually these railroads want these tracks up and running within 48 hours, because that's their business and they have to service their customers. So, they move. They move pretty quickly."
The railroad commissioner says he expects this all to be cleared within two days. The Hartford Chamber of Commerce says that all equipment inovlved in the derailment has been successfully rerailed, which they say minimizes any immeediate impact to the surrounding community. They also say they are working to restore the track and resume service.
An investigation as to what caused this is underway. It could be around six weeks before we know what happened.