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A train plowed into a trailer carrying specialized oilfield equipment to Mexico, the afternoon of Mar. 4, backing up traffic in all directions around Magnolia.

According to the Magnolia Police Department, the trailer was waiting on the tracks for workers to help it clear the overhead railroad signal on FM 1488, when the train came down the tracks.

No one was injured.

Magnolia Police Executive Officer J.K. Seangal said the tracks were blocked at FM 1488 and FM 1774 until around 9 p.m. He said they were dispatched to the scene just before 3 p.m.

"Union Pacific called a company that brought out a crane type piece of equipment that was able to remove the container holding the equipment being transported," he said. "We then called in some heavy tow trucks to remove the trailer."

The trailer was cut in half by the force of the impact.

Witnesses to the event say that they heard workers yelling for the truck driver to move, but the driver apparently did not speak much English and did not understand. That's when one of the workers grabbed the driver and pulled him from the truck at the last minute.

The force of the crash even tore the side of the train's engine off.

With so much heavy equipment involved, police had to look for creative ways to get traffic flowing again.

"We were able to keep traffic moving through the area through detour routes," Seangal said.

The entire scene was cleaned up and the equipment was all moved out of the area late the next morning.

A video of the crash, taken by Magnolia resident Kandi Edwards made the rounds nationally and can be seen on our website, www.tribunenews.com.

Montgomery County Sheriff's and Pct. 5 deputies found the gruesome scene of a body near the railroad tracks, the morning of March 12, along FM 1774, just north of High Meadow Ranch Road.

Lt. Dan Norris, of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office said that they received a call at about 10:30 that morning from the conductor of a train, who said he had seen a body near the tracks.

Upon arrival the deputies found a deceased male lying near the tracks, with no identification. Officials estimated him to be between 20-30 years old.

A Union Pacific railroad worker at the scene said that he was told the man's legs were severed.

"Due to the victims injuries, it appears that a train did strike the individual," a press release from the sheriff's office stated.

Norris stated that detectives are still investigating, trying to determine exactly what happened to the man.

The body was transported to the Montgomery County Forensic Center for autopsy and detectives have tentatively identified the man.

If it turns out that the man was struck by the train it will be the second week in a row for a train accident in the Magnolia area. Last week a trailer hauling oilfield equipment was struck in downtown Magnolia, while attempting to cross the tracks.