Rail officials told local news station WAVY that the incident at its Newport News train yard occurred about 2am. The total number of cars in the train was not released.
No injuries were reported and while coal was lost no hazardous materials or liquids were involved in the incident.
CSX told the paper late Tuesday that clean-up and re-railing was still in process, and that its main line in the area was not impacted.
The cause of the derailment is still being examined.
Newport News is in the heart of the Norfolk port facility region, a major thoroughfare for export coal via the Atlantic Ocean.
