Alberton, Montana

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Alberton is a town in Mineral County, Montana, United States. The population was 374 at the 2000 census.

[edit] Geography

Location of Alberton, Montana

Alberton is located at 47°0′13″N, 114°28′41″W (47.003546, -114.477977)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²). 1.5 km² (0.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (3.33%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 374 people, 152 households, and 108 families residing in the town. The population density was 253.3/km² (652.7/mi²). There were 175 housing units at an average density of 118.5/km² (305.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.59% White, 0.27% African American, 1.07% Native American, 0.27% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population.

There were 152 households out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.5% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.3% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.0% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,000, and the median income for a family was $26,500. Males had a median income of $24,792 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,120. About 19.6% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.2% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] External links

Alberton was the location of a major chlorine chemical release in 1996.

Accident Description (http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/Z_Acc.htm, http://www.wildrockies.org/cmcr/Projects/albert1.html)

About 4:10 a.m., mountain daylight time, on April 11, 1996, 19 cars from Montana Rail Link (MRL) freight train 01-196-10 derailed near Alberton, Montana. Six of the derailed cars contained hazardous materials. One derailed tank car containing chlorine (a poison gas) ruptured, releasing 130,000 pounds of chlorine into the atmosphere; another tank car containing potassium hydroxide solution (potassium cresylate, a corrosive liquid) lost 17,000 gallons of product; and a covered hopper car containing sodium chlorate (an oxidizer) spilled 85 dry gallons onto the ground. About 1,000 people from the surrounding area were evacuated. Approximately 350 people were treated for chlorine inhalation, 123 of whom sustained injury. Nine people, including both members of the train crew, were hospitalized. A transient riding the train died from acute chlorine toxicity. U.S. Interstate Highway 90 (I-90) is roughly parallel and about 150 yards north of the MRL tracks at the accident site. The hazardous material cloud drifted across I-90 resulting in multiple highway traffic accidents. Several motorists were stranded in the cloud after these accidents. I-90 was closed following the accident requiring an 81-mile detour. Monetary damage was estimated to be $3.9 million.

The Governor of Montana declared a state of emergency in Missoula and Mineral County. On April 14, 1996 the evacuation area was reduced to 15 square miles; the residents were temporarily escorted into the area to feed and water livestock animals, retrieve some personal possessions, and locate pets.

Chlorine from the derailed but nonruptured tank cars was transloaded at the accident site. The operation began on April 14th and was concluded on April 28th. When the transloading was completed the evacuation was canceled, residents were allowed to return to their homes, and I-90 was reopened. The MRL train consisted of 3 locomotive units, 36 loaded and 35 empty freight cars. Twenty-five of the loaded cars contained placarded hazardous materials. It was traveling 40 mph just before the derailment when both train crew members reported they felt the locomotive "dip to the left" and then come back upright. The crew commented about the rough track and a few seconds later the train brakes applied in emergency. When they looked back toward the train they said they could see sparks flying and believed the train had derailed.

About 514 feet of rail was dislocated in the derailment. Approximately 444 feet of that total were recovered. Rail sections believed to have been located on the outside of the curve at the point of derailment exhibited gage and head wear. Additionally, a portion of rail recovered from the accident site displayed evidence of a vertical split head. Rail sections were sent to a laboratory for metallurgical analysis. The laboratory concluded that the "...level of wear rendered the rail susceptible to fracture due to its diminished load bearing capacity," and "these rail fragments failed in a vertical split head mode with subsequent vertical propagation to the surfaces in a progressive and rapid manner. Final separation into the examined fragments next occurred during the derailment by rapid cleavage overload along multiple transverse planes."

Metallurgical analysis taken together with the wreckage dispersal pattern, and the train crew's statements revealed that a rail broke under the moving train and that the failure mode was a vertical split head.

The visual rail inspection records did not indicate rail problems in this area. An ultrasonic rail inspection vehicle traversed this area on March 1, 1996. No defects were detected at the location of the vertical split head. The rail was extensively covered with rail head checks (shelling) and other surface defects throughout its length. Ultrasonic rail defect detection equipment is unable to identify internal rail defects when rail surface defects are present in the same location.

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