What could have been: Strathroy residents react after train with empty propane tanker derails downtown

Laura Elliott tries to block out the noise from the trains that chug along tracks just a block from her house in downtown Strathroy.

That's probably why she didn't notice anything peculiar the morning a train derailed a block from her house, even though her neighbour said it sounded like a tornado. 

Staring at 13 CN Rail cars scattered across a neighbourhood street just a stones throw from her front door left Elliott feeling scared. 

"They're so big," she told CBC News hours after the cars left their tracks and shut down Strathroy's downtown core for most of the morning. 

The cause of the derailment is being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

No one was injured in the early morning incident. Streets were closed for most of the day and all rail traffic along the line has been halted until the mess is cleared away.

'Children, women with their babies'

When Mena Teixeira looks at the burgundy box car leaning on its side in the centre of the street, steps from a Beer Store, she thinks of the people who could have been hit. 

"There's always a lot of children, women with their babies, people walking their dogs and people in their cars waiting to get through," said Teixeira. 

She knows that train traffic is part of the daily routine of living in Strathroy. The tracks run through the middle of town, backing on to an animal clinic, a dog park and a number of houses.  

Teixeira said some days she stops and thinks about what could go wrong. 

She can only imagine what would have happened if the rail cars jumped the tracks during the day. 

"It could have been really tragic."

'You don't want it to happen'

Sheila Milic said she heard the regular rumble along the tracks Wednesday morning.

"None of the horns or anything going off on it," said Milic. Nothing crazy about it all, she said, watching diverted traffic drive along her normally quiet street.

She has sat in her vehicle at that rail road crossing before. The tracks split the town in half and most of the stores on the other side. 

Milic said her town is lucky that no one died. 

"It's always a possibility," said Milic. "Of course you don't want it to happen, whether it's a derailment or spills or anything."

'Could have been tragic'

Everyday Cheryl Losh watches trains travel along the rail tracks through downtown Strathroy. 

When someone told her about the derailment, she assumed it happened in London.

"When I drove in here I was just overwhelmed," said Losh, who passed by rail cars leaning on their side, having no idea what was inside them.

"Just looking at this, a few miles down the road...it could have been a residential area, there could have been an explosion. It could have been tragic," said Losh. 

She has lived in town for 14 years and can't remember anything like this happening. She said it's terrifying.

"You don't think about it, you see it happening in other areas, in other communities, but you don't think about it happening here."

'Not surprised'

Despite a twisted train wreck of rail cars straddling a set of train tracks she crosses everyday to go to work, Doris Gough isn't surprised. 

"Sitting at the tracks you wonder if they ever are going to jump off," said Gough.

"Luckily it's not as bad as it could have been."

She lives across town from the train tracks and didn't hear anything unusual that morning. But she said that she has watched train traffic "come through there quite quickly" and predicts train traffic will be a mess.

"I just always wondered if it would ever happen in here. You see it happen in other places and to me, I'm just kind of not surprised," said Gough.

"I was just waiting for the day for it to happen."