Chicago, Lake Shore & South Bend wood combine # 73 was involved in an accident that killed and injured a number of people. The car was rebuilt and remained in service for the CLS&SB into the South Shore era when she eventually became a work car and later a stationary shed before being sold and became part of a private residence. Rescued years later by Bob Harris and moved to Illinois, her body has been lovingly restored. Not sure of the current plans for her.

Les

Nickel Plate Berkshire no. 765, owned and operated by the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society. Inc, carries some scars from a NKP regular service incident. The fireman's side, back corner of the tender, was bashed at some point. The dent was mostly pounded out but it is still pretty obvious if you just look.

We have never found out anything regarding the dent and during the 1970's and 1980's- we never had a NKP veteran employee who knew about it.

765 was also involved in a grade crossing accident in Crossville, TN in 1982. Apparently hit a dump truck on a fall colors excursion. 611 was involved in a wreck on the Tug river handling the Powhattan Arrow in 1956. The Watauga Chapter's N&W coach 539 was involved in that wreck as well, it still operates in excursion service. 611 was also involved in the Great Dismal Swamp wreck in 1986 handling an employee appreciate trip. Of the cars involved in that wreck, two were scrapped and one retired, the majority returned to NS service. NS changed their policy heavyweights/tightlock couplers and adjusted their steam speed limit to 40mph shortly thereafter.

Lastly, Southern Railway 107 displayed in Pigeon Forge, TN had a boiler explosion early in its career and returned to service for Southern and later the Smoky Mountain Railroad.

Quite a few of the surviving D&RGW/RGS narrow gauge passenger cars were involved in some form of wreck or derailment. D&RGW parlor car Durango and 2 or 3 coaches wrecked on Phantom curve in the 40s. One of the 2 that rolled down hill are still running on the D&S, while the Durango see's rare use at knott's Berry Farm.

RGS business cars B-20 and B-21 both have been in wrecks. The B-20/Edna rolled in the teens. As did the Rico/B-21 around 1909, then while on its way to Alamosa for repairs rolled again. The B-20/EDNA is serviceable but rarely is used at Knott's Berry Farm while the Rico/B-21 lives and runs at the Colorado Railroad Museum.

This incident was during a TVRM "Autumn Leaf Special" trip from Chattanooga to Crossville. The 'contact' was made in Hixson, just outside of Chattanooga (after crossing Tennbridge).





This incident is also related to TVRM as the explosion occurred near Missionary Ridge Tunnel.

Shaker Heights Rapid Transit 27, formerly Cleveland (Ohio) Rwys. 1227 and restored that way at Seashore Trolley Museum in Maine, was damaged in a humping accident while being transported by railroad from Ohio to Maryland. Injures to a body bolster caused it to lean.

L class No. 522 at the PA Railroad Museum has a second boiler - the first being launched near Cresson in WWII in a low-water incident.

Across the road, SRC 105 had wreck damage from the Western Maryland severe enough for Mr. Rice and I to fabricate a new "B" end coupler pocket in 2004. She also had an impressive dent on her frame from truck skew that probably occurred in the same incident.

Southern Railway 4-6-2 PS-4 No. 1401 rolled over on its side in a wreck in 1942 near Atlanta. The Smithsonian has the photo in their files as proof.

K.R. Bell

Southern Pacific observation car 2902 now in the collection of California State Railroad Museum has an interesting history and was in a wreck that should have ended its existence.

The car was built as Union Pacific observation, smoking lounge car in 1924 and numbered 1536 as part of a 16 car order (1524-1539) from Pullman. On July 29, 1928, the car was in use on a third section of a Southern Pacific passenger train that contained 8 sleeping cars and two dining cars. That train made an unscheduled stop at Cortena, California to make repairs for a broken cylinder cock. A following scheduled passenger train containing 10 cars passed the rear flagman located at less than required distance from the rear of the train. With insufficient distance to stop the following train collided with the standing train. The locomotive intruded more than 20 feet into the observation car while pushing the standing train forward 80 feet. While there were no fatalities there were injury of 67 passengers, 3 mail clerks, and 53 Pullman and railroad employees on the two trains.

The Southern Pacific took title to the Union Pacific observation and sent it to its Sacramento shops for repairs/rebuilding. The rebuilt car duplicated the per-wreck condition and was assigned SP number 2902. It was retired in 1956 and passed in 1957 to the ownership of the Pacific Coast Chapter of the R&LHS. Subsequently it was transferred to CSRM.

It is interesting to note that the Union Pacific rebuilt majority of its remaining 15 cars into solarium observation lounge cars in the 1930s. Then in 1954-55 nine cars in this group were heavy rebuilt to streamlined, mid-train dormitory-lounge cars. One of these cars (1524, rebuilt to 2nd 1530) passed through private ownership and is now in the collection of Southern California Railway Museum as UP 1530.

SP 10408, a Pride of Texas diner/lounge restored at www.texascompound.com was involved in a wreck while in Amtrak service in the middle 1970s in East Texas. Multiple cars laid over on their sides in a derailment. The car was retired on the spot and sold to Mr. Garrett who moved it to his Whistle Stop ranch near Tyler. From there it was moved to Austin in 2015, when I purchased it. The car has a few minor dents from the incident.

I have never been able to find the FRA accident report. I believe the car was in service on the Inter-American.

- William Osborn