Railroad paying evacuees from train derailment

ROCKFORD -- Canadian National Railway says it's offering compensation for northern Illinois residents displaced by a train derailment that caused an explosion.

Spokesman Patrick Waldron said Tuesday that the company has set up shop at the Shepherd of the Valley Church in Rockford. He says people who come in with identification and proof of residency are getting checks with amounts determined on an individual basis.

Waldron says residents are being asked to sign a standard agreement "that settles matters between the individual and the railroad."

Residents were evacuated after 18 rail cars loaded with thousands of gallons of highly flammable ethanol tumbled from the tracks and exploded into flames Friday.