Mud slide shuts down UP tracks near Feist Creek

November 23, 2011

Warming weather coming on the heels of the first real snow of the season, bringing a soaking overnight rain that is expected to continue for much of the coming week, caused several reports of mudslides this morning, including one that shut down the Union Pacific Railroad near Feist Creek and impacted traffic on Meadow Creek Road. The slide was reported at about 10:45 a.m. today by UP clerk Robin Moore, who learned of the slide from a maintenance crew not long before a train was due. Boundary County Emergency Management incident commander Bob Graham was called to the scene, along with personnel from the Hall Mountain Volunteer Fire Department, and county road and bridge crews are currently on scene dealing with the impact to Meadow Creek Road, though the extent of the damage to the county road has not been reported. According to Road and Bridge secretary Renee Nelson, the road was never completely closed. According to Moore, crews reported that the slide covered approximately 30 feet of track with mud up to three feet deep.