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COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE DERAILMENT Railroad to replace bolts after fiery Oregon oil train derailment Angry Mosier mayor calls safety claims 'outrageous' Comment By Matthew Brown The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Matthew Brown The Associated Press Posted Jun. 23, 2016 at 5:47 PM By Matthew Brown The Associated Press Posted Jun. 23, 2016 at 5:47 PM » Social News PORTLAND — Union Pacific Railroad said it will replace a type of bolt on its track that led to a fiery oil train derailment on the Oregon-Washington border, but the pledge failed to ease concerns in the tiny town where the wreck sparked a massive fire that burned for 14 hours. Federal investigators in a preliminary report released Thursday blamed the derailment on Union Pacific for failing to properly maintain its track. The report flagged broken "lag bolts" as the immediate cause and said better inspections would have caught the issue. The lag bolt is part of a fastening system that attaches the rail to ties. It prevents the rails from moving too far apart, which can lead to derailments. Union Pacific faces potential penalties for safety violations, according to the Federal Railroad Administration report. The document, obtained in advance by The Associated Press, came out a day after Union Pacific announced it would resume running oil trains in the Columbia River Gorge later this week. The combined news shocked and angered residents in Mosier, a town of about 400 where the train went off the tracks. The June 3 derailment released 42,000 gallons of crude and prompted evacuations. No one was injured. "I think it's outrageous that they're telling us it's safe," Mosier Mayor Arlene Burns said. "We are going to keep pushing until we feel that this has been properly addressed." Advanced electronic brakes proposed by regulators but fought by the railroad industry could have made the derailment less severe, Federal Railroad Administrator Sarah Feinberg said. They could have reduced the number of cars that derailed and prevented the one that first burst into flames from being punctured, officials said. "We're talking about upgrading a brake system that is from the Civil War era," Feinberg said. "It's not too much to ask these companies to improve their braking systems." The Association of American Railroads has lobbied against new braking requirements, saying they are too unreliable and would yield too little benefit to justify a price tag topping $3 billion. Federal officials say putting new brakes just on locomotives hauling large loads of oil and other flammable liquids would cost far less, around $80 million. Union Pacific said an upgraded braking system would not have made a difference in the Mosier derailment. The company will replace the lag bolts with spikes on curved portions of its track nationwide as part of its track renewal program, said Justin Jacobs, Union Pacific spokesman. The bolts will be replaced on 530 miles of the company's 32,000-mile network, he said. Union Pacific inspections just three days before the derailment failed to detect any problem with the bolts, Jacobs said. Spikes will be more visible than the bolts, which lie close to the ground, nestled in gravel on the rail bed, he said. A chorus of state, local and federal elected officials in Oregon has demanded a moratorium on crude-by-rail shipments until the derailment is fully understood. There are concerns the failure of the lag bolts could be a symptom of a larger, unknown problem. Oil trains have been running in the area only since 2014, state transportation officials said. By Matthew Brown The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Matthew Brown The Associated Press Posted Jun. 23, 2016 at 5:47 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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