Pulling fuselages from Montana river going 'slow'

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) - Three airplane fuselages that slid down a steep embankment into the Clark Fork River following a train derailment in western Montana could take until Tuesday to remove, railroad officials said Sunday.

This Sunday, July 6, 2014 photo by Jerry Compton provided by Wiley E. Waters Whitewater Rafting shows a freight train that derailed near Alberton in western Montana, sending three cars carrying aircraft components down a steep embankment and into the Clark Fork River on Thursday, July 3. Removing three Boeing 737 fuselages could take until Tuesday. Montana Rail Link spokeswoman Lynda Frost said a crew of 50 with eight heavy equipment machines is working in conjunction on the steep bank. (AP Photo/Wiley E. Waters Whitewater Rafting, Jerry Compton)

'The progress is going extremely slow,' Montana Rail Link spokeswoman Lynda Frost said. 'If we get one up today, it would appear it will take one day each to get them out.'

She said a crew of 50 with eight heavy-equipment machines was working together to hoist up the three Boeing 737 fuselages, the large, central portions of planes that hold passengers.

Six fuselages were aboard a westbound train when 19 cars derailed Thursday about 10 miles west of Alberton. The three remaining plane sections also fell off but stayed on land. No one was injured in the derailment, which is under investigation.

Boeing said in a statement that it has experts at the scene to assess the damage. Marc Birtel, director of media relations, said Sunday that he didn't have information on what the experts have decided.

The fuselages were traveling from a Spirit AeroSystems plant in Wichita, Kansas, to a Boeing facility in Renton, Washington, to be assembled into airliners.