Downers Grove train wreck

Last updated

Downers Grove train wreck
EMD E5 at IRM.jpg
CB&Q EMD E5
Details
DateApril 3, 1947;77 years ago (1947-04-03)
22:41 CST
LocationDowners Grove, Illinois
Coordinates 41°47′44″N88°00′32″W / 41.79556°N 88.00889°W / 41.79556; -88.00889
CountryUnited States
Line Twin Cities Zephyr
OperatorChicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad
Incident type Derailment
CauseObstruction on line
Statistics
Deaths3
Injured30+
60-seat coach "Neptune" (1968) (sister "Minerva" was in wreck) Nebraska Zephyr 1968 Neptune.jpg
60-seat coach "Neptune" (1968)
(sister "Minerva" was in wreck)

The Downers Grove train wreck happened on April 3, 1947, at the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad station in Downers Grove, Illinois. The Twin Cities Zephyr , a high-speed inter-city passenger train, struck a tractor that had fallen from a freight train only seconds before. Three died and over thirty were injured in the wreck.

The Twin Cities Zephyr [lower-alpha 1] had left Minneapolis at 5:10 PM with EMD E5 #9914A [1] pulling a seven car trainset called "The Train of the Goddesses" [lower-alpha 2] . The train carried many college students and others traveling for the coming Easter weekend and was due at Chicago's Union Station at midnight. [2] [3]

At 10:41 PM, approaching the Downers Grove station at about 75 miles per hour (121 km/h), the eastbound Zephyr struck a heavy caterpillar-type tractor which had just fallen off a westbound freight train. The engineer, who later died from his injuries, told rescuers that he saw the tractor fall and immediately applied the brakes. At impact [lower-alpha 3] the locomotive went airborne, broke away from the trainset, landed on its side, skidded through the station [lower-alpha 4] , and caught fire. The first two cars jack-knifed into an empty office and waiting room of the brick masonry station building, which by chance had been closed early for the night. The freight train had just cleared the scene when all three tracks running through the depot were torn up. [4] [5] [6]

The response was fast. A signalman from the nearby tower went east and used flares to stop a westbound freight while a brakeman from the Zephyr climbed out a window after the crash and went west to flag a following local passenger train. The fire department, police, and townspeople (along with a Boy Scout troop) quickly began giving aid. Police from nearby towns also came to help, along with state police. After being given first aid at a doctor's office across from the station or in the lobby of the Tivoli Theatre, the injured were taken to the Hinsdale Hospital or Copley Memorial Hospital in Aurora. Two died and more than 30 were injured, the train's engineer died three days later. [4] [6] [7] [8]

Unlike the Naperville train disaster less than a year earlier, there was no question of wrongdoing at the scene. On May 8, 1947, a DuPage County Coroner's jury found that International Harvester (the shipper) and the Burlington were negligent in loading and inspecting the tractor. [9] [10] [11]

Notes

  1. ↑ Scheduled as the southbound "Afternoon Zephyr"
  2. ↑ Five cars of this set, as well as a CB&Q(C&S) E5, are preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois
  3. ↑ The impact site was at Forest Ave., one block west of the station
  4. ↑ A policeman parked in the cab-stand watched the locomotive skid past him, his squad car was damaged by flying debris.

Related Research Articles

<i>Empire Builder</i> Northern U.S. rail service

The Empire Builder is a daily long-distance passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great Northern Railway and was retained by Amtrak when it took over intercity rail service in 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad</span> Former railroad in the Midwestern United States

The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and also in Texas through subsidiaries Colorado and Southern Railway, Fort Worth and Denver Railway, and Burlington-Rock Island Railroad. Its primary connections included Chicago, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Denver. Because of this extensive trackage in the midwest and mountain states, the railroad used the advertising slogans "Everywhere West", "Way of the Zephyrs", and "The Way West".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMD E5</span>

The EMD E5 is a 2,000-horsepower (1,500 kW), A1A-A1A passenger train-hauling diesel locomotive manufactured by Electro-Motive Corporation, and its corporate successor, General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of La Grange, Illinois, and produced exclusively for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, and its subsidiaries, during 1940 and 1941. The E5 was distinguished from the otherwise very similar E3, E4 and E6 by being clad in polished stainless steel to match the Burlington's Zephyr trains. It also featured unique small grill-like ornamentation on both sides of the upper headlight. Like the other pre-war models in the E-series, the E5 had a sloping “slant nose” and it was equipped with two headlights — a regular stationary headlight above a gyrating Mars signal light. The E5 was the sixth in the EMD E-unit series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Paul Union Depot</span> Train station in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul Union Depot is a historic railroad station and intermodal transit hub in the Lowertown neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. It serves light rail, intercity rail, intercity bus, and local bus services.

<i>City of Denver</i> (train) Streamlined passenger train of the Union Pacifiic Railroad

The City of Denver was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Union Pacific Railroad between Chicago, Illinois, and Denver, Colorado. It operated between 1936 and 1971. From 1936–1955 the Chicago and North Western Railway handled the train east of Omaha, Nebraska; the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad handled it thereafter. The train was the fastest long-distance train in the United States when it debuted in 1936, covering 1,048 miles (1,687 km) in 16 hours. For almost its entire career its principal competitor was the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad's Denver Zephyr. When Amtrak assumed operation of most intercity trains in the United States in 1971, it discontinued the City of Denver, preferring to use the Burlington's route between Chicago and Denver.

<i>Illinois Zephyr</i> and <i>Carl Sandburg</i> Amtrak trains between Chicago, IL and Quincy, IL

The Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg are a pair of passenger trains operated by Amtrak on a 258-mile (415 km) route between Chicago and Quincy, Illinois. As Illinois Service trains, they are partially funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Between Chicago and Galesburg, Illinois, the trains share their route with the California Zephyr and Southwest Chief; the remainder of the route (Galesburg–Quincy) is served exclusively by the Illinois Zephyr/Carl Sandburg.

<i>North Coast Limited</i> Former named passenger train

The North Coast Limited was a named passenger train operated by the Northern Pacific Railway between Chicago and Seattle via Bismarck, North Dakota. It started on April 29, 1900, and continued as a Burlington Northern Railroad train after the merger on March 2, 1970 with Great Northern Railway and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. The next year, it ceased operations after the trains which left their originating stations on April 30, 1971, the day before Amtrak began service, arrived at their destinations.

<i>Pioneer Zephyr</i> American train

The Pioneer Zephyr is a diesel-powered trainset built by the Budd Company in 1934 for the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), commonly known as the Burlington Route. The trainset was the second internal combustion-powered streamliner built for mainline service in the United States, the first such train powered by a diesel engine, and the first to enter revenue service.

<i>Nebraska Zephyr</i>

The Nebraska Zephyr was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad between Chicago, Illinois; Omaha, Nebraska; and Lincoln, Nebraska, from 1947 to 1971. Until 1968, the service was provided by two Twin Cities Zephyr articulated trainsets — the "Train of the Gods" and "Train of the Goddesses" — that became synonymous with it. The Nebraska Zephyr was one of many trains discontinued when Amtrak began operations in 1971. The "Train of the Goddesses" set is preserved at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BNSF Line</span> Commuter rail service in the Chicago area

The BNSF Line is a Metra commuter rail line operated by the BNSF Railway in Chicago and its western suburbs, running from Chicago Union Station to Aurora, Illinois. In 2010, the BNSF Line continued to have the highest weekday ridership of the 11 Metra lines. While Metra does not refer to its lines by particular colors, the BNSF line's color on Metra timetables is "Cascade Green," in honor of the Burlington Northern Railroad.

The Ak-Sar-Ben Zephyr was a streamlined passenger train operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) between Lincoln, Nebraska and Chicago, Illinois, United States. The first version operated from 1940 to 1947; a revived service operated from 1953 to 1970. The "Ak-Sar-Ben" portion of name was created by spelling Nebraska (Neb-ras-ka) backwards and taken from a fraternal organization of the same name. "Zephyr" was a name applied by the CB&Q to many of its trains, beginning with the Pioneer Zephyr in 1934. The name derived from "Zephyrus", the Greek god of the west wind.

<i>Mark Twain Zephyr</i> American trainset

The Mark Twain Zephyr was an early diesel four-unit articulated zephyr train that was similar to the Pioneer Zephyr in style. The train was built by the Budd Company and was powered by a diesel engine produced by the Winton Engine Company. The train was named after the renowned author Mark Twain because it was scheduled to provide service from St. Louis, Missouri to Burlington, Iowa via his hometown Hannibal, Missouri. The train's exterior structure used stainless steel, and had a "shovel nose" front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Railway Museum</span> Museum in Union, Illinois, U.S.

The Illinois Railway Museum is the largest railroad museum in the United States. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area at 7000 Olson Road in Union, Illinois, 55 miles (89 km) northwest of downtown Chicago.

<i>Kansas City Zephyr</i>

The Kansas City Zephyr was a streamliner passenger train service operated by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) between Chicago and Kansas City.

<i>Twin Zephyr</i> American trainset

The Twin Zephyrs, also known as the Twin Cities Zephyrs, were a pair of streamlined passenger trains on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q), running between Chicago and the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota. It was the second Zephyr service introduced by CB&Q after the record-setting Denver–Chicago "dawn to dusk dash" of the Pioneer Zephyr trainset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mendota station</span> Railway station in Illinois, US

Mendota station is an Amtrak intercity train station at 783 Main Street, Mendota, Illinois, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galesburg station (Amtrak)</span> Amtrak intercity train station in Galesburg, Illinois

Galesburg is an Amtrak intercity train station in Galesburg, Illinois, United States. The station was originally built in 1984, after the razing of the large depot just south of the current site. It is located north of the large BNSF Classification yard. Just south the Illinois Zephyr and Carl Sandburg diverge via the Quincy main line which bypasses the yard on the east side. The California Zephyr and the Southwest Chief continue to the southwest side of Galesburg near Knox College.

A zephyr is a stream-liner train-set of locomotives or power cars with matching passenger cars. Zephyr train-sets with proper names include:

References

  1. ↑ "Interstate Commerce Commision, Report of the Accident Investigation Occuring on the CHICAGO, BURLINGTON AND QUINCY RAILROAD, DOWNERS GROVE, IL". Interstate Commerce Commission. May 26, 1947.
  2. ↑ "Twin Cities Zephyr trainsets". streamlinerschedules.com. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  3. ↑ Zimmermann, Karl (2004). Burlington's Zephyrs. Andover Junction. pp. 45–55, 83–86. ISBN   0-7603-1856-5.
  4. 1 2 "Speeding Train Hits Tractor and Depot; Two Die, 25 Hurt". The Milwaukee Journal. April 4, 1947. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Downers Grove, Il train derails & crashes into depot". April 6, 1947. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Zephyr Wreck of 1947" (newspaper articles, mostly from the Downers Grove Reporter in April 1947, along with photos and recollections) retrieved September 16, 2010
  7. ↑ Dunham, Montrew; Wandschneider, Pauline (1982). Downers Grove 1832 to 1982. Heritage Festival Task Force of Downers Grove. pp. 153–154. ISBN   0-9608670-0-7.
  8. ↑ Dunham, Montrew (2003). Downers Grove Revisited. Arcadia. pp. 46, 56. ISBN   0-7385-3195-2.
  9. ↑ "6 Inquiries in Zephyr Wreck;Tractor Blamed". The Milwaukee Sentinel. April 5, 1947. Retrieved March 27, 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ "Photos Bare Clew to Cause of Zephyr Wreck". Chicago Tribune. April 5, 1947.
  11. ↑ "Jurors Blame Zephyr Wreck on Negligence". Chicago Tribune. May 9, 1947.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.