Alberton, Montana

Alberton is a town located in Mineral County, Montana. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 374.

Geography

Alberton is located at 47°0'13" North, 114°28'41" West (47.003546, -114.477977)Template:GR.

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 is water. The total area is 3.33% water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 374 people, 152 households, and 108 families residing in the town. The population density is 253.3/km² (652.7/mi²). There are 175 housing units at an average density of 118.5/km² (305.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 97.59% White, 0.27% African American, 1.07% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 0.53% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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

In the town the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 103.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $26,000, and the median income for a family is $26,500. Males have a median income of $24,792 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the town is $13,120. 19.6% of the population and 19.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 25.2% of those under the age of 18 and 3.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

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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.