WENDELL — Cleanup has begun at the site of a freight train derailment that sent 15 railroad cars carrying non-hazardous merchandise off the tracks Tuesday afternoon.

Scott Minckler, chief of the Leverett Police Department, which also provides policing services in Wendell, said Wednesday afternoon that some trees have been removed to accommodate necessary equipment. Cleanup is expected to last anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks.

“There’s not really a hard timeline,” Minckler said.

The westbound train, which Police Sgt. Steven Gould said was operated by two engineers from Berkshire and Eastern Railroad, derailed near Farley Road at approximately 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. No injuries were reported.

According to Wendell Fire Chief Joe Cuneo, the freight train was mainly carrying paper products. No hazardous materials were involved.

“They’re working out there today to re-rail some of the train cars that they could get them out of there,” Cuneo said Wednesday afternoon. “Then they have to fix the tracks up so they can get some commercial traffic moving.”

Minckler said Farley Road will remain closed for the time being, though a portion of an obstructive train car has been removed so emergency vehicles and local traffic can pass. Still, he said, people are asked to stay away from the area if possible. He said the cause of the derailment has not yet been determined.

Sandra Goudreau, who has lived at 386 Farley Road for 20 years, described what she experienced when the derailment occurred Tuesday.

“I heard it happen and the power went ‘flick, flick, flick,’ and the power went out,” Goudreau recounted. “I called my neighbor and my neighbor said, ‘You have a train in your driveway.’”

The derailment prompted a regional emergency response that included police and firefighters from Wendell, Erving, Greenfield, Orange and New Salem. Greenfield Police’s Special Operations Unit also responded and operated a drone over the freight cars.

Gould mentioned a “train enthusiast” was seen photographing or videotaping the train moments before the derailment. The video, posted to YouTube Wednesday by Isaiah Manuel on the channel IsaiahsTrains, shows the train coming into view before passing the videographer, and the cars beginning to topple.

Reach Domenic Poli at dpoli@recorder.com or 413-93-4120. Staff writer Anthony Cammalleri and photographer Paul Franz contributed reporting.