A train pulling 100 cars became uncoupled Wednesday morning in downtown Tamaqua, blocking intersections and bringing traffic to a prolonged halt on two main arteries and side streets.

The Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern freight train entered the community on the Lehigh and New England tracks at the east side about 9:30 a.m. and continued through the community. At the point where the long line of box cars blocked the East Broad Street, Greenwood Street and South Center Street crossings, freight cars reportedly became unhitched, bringing the train to a halt. Traffic came to a standstill on busy Farmers Market Wednesday while crews assessed the situation.Workers hurried to fix the problem, with traffic tied up in all directions.Some motorists tried to skirt around the jam by detouring through various alleys only to find those streets blocked as well.The train was stationary for at least 15 minutes.Once it began moving, it switched over to the main north-south tracks and blocked Route 209 and all crossing points from the south end of town to the north.Traffic remained tied up for over an hour after all of the train cars moved into southern Schuylkill County toward Port Clinton.