Sunday’s Montana Rail Link derailment along the Clark Fork River near Paradise brought back memories for some Sanders County locals who recalled a similar incident more than two decades ago.

In July 1999, a Montana Rail Link freight train derailed between Paradise and Plains, spilling hot liquid asphalt, corn syrup and an estimate 8,000 12-packs of Coors Light beer into the Clark Fork River — the latter setting off the so-called “Silver Bullet Derby.”

The incident was eerily similar to Sunday’s derailment, which also dumped cases of Coors Light and Blue Moon beer into the river. Photos taken Sunday show a few intrepid boaters hoisting some beer bottles from the crash site.

According to the Valley Press archive, the 1999 derailment was possibly caused by a sun kink in the tracks. No one was injured in that incident, including two transients who had hopped on the back railcar.

Sunday’s derailment remains under investigation.