Train wheels slip off MM&A track southeast of Montreal

Two wheels of a freight train car left the track this morning in what officials are describing as a "minor" derailment on a rail line owned and operated by Montreal, Maine & Atlantic.

The accident, which happened in Farnham, Que., was reported to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and involved a freight car.

Its not clear who owned the train, but the line is owned by the company at the centre of the disaster in Lac-Mgantic, Que.

Montreal, Maine & Atlantic owned the 72-car freight train that rolled away, crashed and derailed inLac-Mganticlast week, killing at least 38 people. Another 12 remain unaccounted for.

The company confirmed yesterday that 17 workers had been laid off because a portion of the line remains under the control of emergency officials and trains arent running.

The incident this morning in Farnham, located southeast of Montreal, is technically a derailment, but no goods were spilled and no one was injured, said John Cottreau of the Transportation Safety Board.

The incident happened on a "non-mainline track," he said.

The TSB will follow up to gather more information, but its unlikely an investigator will be deployed to the scene.