Steve Orr

@SOrr1

A CSX freight train derailed near Batavia in Genesee County at the height of the fierce winds Wednesday afternoon.

No one was injured and there were no reports of leaks or spillage of large amounts of freight, CSX Transportation spokesman Rob Doolittle said.

The accident occurred just west of the city of Batavia near a highway grade crossing at Donahue Road. Doolittle said the train did not strike a vehicle at the crossing.

The train consisted of 2 locomotives and 29 intermodal rail cars, each carrying a double stack of large shipping containers. There were no tank cars in the train, he said.

Doolittle did not know how many cars left the rails, though photographs of the scene clearly showed at least a half-dozen cars off the tracks. Boxed cargo appeared to have spilled out of at least one car.

The train was eastbound, heading from Chicago to Montreal.

The derailment occurred about 1:15 p.m., during a period when the wind was gusting over 60 mph. Calculations show a freakishly strong gust of 81 mph that was recorded at Greater Rochester International Airport would have been at the site of the derailment at the time the accident occurred.

Doolittle said the cause of the accident was not known, but that all environmental factors, such as wind, would be considered.

The tracks at the scene run west-southwest to east-northeast, the approximate direction of the winds on Wednesday.

SORR@Gannett.com

COMPLETE STORM COVERAGE

►What we know now about the windstorm

►Windstorm of the decade wreaks havoc

►Unseasonably cold temps on the way

►No power? Here's where to find shelter

►What caused the storm? Blame the sun

►10 tips for safe generator use

►911 center flooded with calls

►Stay away from downed power lines

►Trimming a tree? Do it safely

►What to do when the power goes out

►Then and now: 2017 storm vs. 1991

►RG&E outage map

►First aid for frozen pipes

►Wind blew down the Liberty Pole in 1889