2 Kansas derailments attributed to heat

? Apparently, not even railroad tracks can stand up to the brutal heat wave that hit Kansas this week.

Because rail expands under high temperatures, railroad officials this week told locomotive engineers to reduce speeds in areas where high temperatures have been reported.

Railroad officials said heat caused Union Pacific Railroad tracks near St. Marys to buckle Monday, causing about 30 cars to derail. No one was injured.

“It was heat related,” said Union Pacific spokesman James Barnes. “The track can misalign itself if it is too hot.”

A second derailment was reported on Tuesday on a Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway track nine miles east of Emporia, when temperatures hovered near 100 degrees. Twelve cars carrying stacks of containers derailed.