The Poison Train: East Palestine and the Derailment of Norfolk Southern 32N

A small American town struggles to survive after decades of bipartisan neglect cast a long shadow of uncertainty over its future.

I still hear the tall man say
To the children at their play
You’d better go home early
And you’d better stay away
Stay away from the line
Can’t you hear the railway humming
The grass has grown too tall
And the poison train is coming

—Michael O’Rourke, “The Poison Train”

Pam Kline welcomed me through the front door of her home in East Palestine, Ohio, on…