| Neil Johnson, Reporter/Anchor, Big Radio |

Authorities are investigating what caused a derailment of four train cars near Janesville’s Five Points on Tuesday, but regulators say they know the cars were loaded with soybeans.

Milton resident Don Vruwink, Wisconsin Railroad Commissioner appointee, says his office already received a report on the derailment by the train’s operator, Union Pacific railroad.

Federal railroad authorities will be investigating the cause, but that could take weeks. Meanwhile, Vruwink says the Union Pacific is responsible to repair any damage to the rail and rail bed at the section of track near Franklin Street on the edge of downtown Janesville.

The Five Points area has a train switch yard and a controlled crossing with five streets intersecting, including the thoroughfare Centerway. It’s one of 4,200 train crossings in Wisconsin.

No one working for the railroad and no motorists were hurt during the tip-over, and adjacent street intersections were open within hours.

Vruwink says it’s the “sixth or seventh” train derailment this year, although he points out Janesville’s was a minor one, with less complexity than other derailments. Those derailments include one between LaCrosse and Prairie Du Chien that sent 13 cars skittering off the rails. Two of the cars ended up in the Mississippi River.

It’s not clear what caused the grain cars to skip the rails in Janesville on Tuesday.

The stretch of track near where the derailment happened is due for state mandated upgrades which would allow trains to carry loads with more weight through Janesville than the line is now rated for.

For more on this and other local news, tune to WCLO Radio.