The freight's only passengers, a conductor and an engineer, both got off safely and firefighters kept the fire from spreading to the locomotive's diesel fuel, Orange Rural Fire Department Capt. Jeff Roberts said.
The fire disrupted passenger service that uses the same tracks, the state Department of Transportation said.
Passengers on Amtrak's southbound Piedmont train were taken by bus from Durham to Charlotte and intermediate points, while the northbound Carolinian train was making all stops Monday, but with delays of up to three hours.
The Transportation Department said passengers on the Monday evening Piedmont train traveling north from Charlotte would ride buses that would make scheduled station stops at the scheduled times.
The southbound Carolinian was expected to run on a normal schedule Monday evening.
The state sponsors the Piedmont and Carolinian trains, which offer daily service between Charlotte and Raleigh. Service on the Carolinian continues to Richmond, Va., Washington and New York.
