Nostalgia & History > U.P. cars toppled from rail bridge onto highway bridge

Fortunately, there were no motorists involved when an empty coal car in a Union Pacific Railroad train toppled from a railroad bridge onto a K-4 highway bridge at the north edge of Herington, Kan., on January 19, 2002.

Attached are four pictures of the aftermath of the derailment. I don't have details on the circumstances of the mishap but I believe it occurred during a low-speed switching move at the north end of the Herington yard.

Interestingly, a nearly identical mishap at the same location in the late 1970s when the former Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad operated the route. An empty piggyback car also fell onto the highway in that derailment. No motorists were involved in that Rock Island mishap.

Due to having personally photographed both mishaps, I am a bit skittish every time I see a moving train atop a rail bridge above any highway I am traveling. I try to remain observant of train wheel movement while approaching any underpass.

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Picture Five shows the two bridges on July 13, 1991, as a St. Louis Southwestern Railway (Cotton Belt) was leaving Herington, enroute to Kansas City. The engine consist included Southern Pacific locomotives Nos. 7120, 9604 and 9747.

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Older version of Rotary dumper...

And they closed the road for that? Heck .....

Posted from Android

Great photos, very dramatic. Glad nobody was killed or injured! Thanks for sharing.

Al Seever
Phoenix, AZ

Larry, was that an approved FRA/OSHA hand rail? Great pics and thanks again!

Report on first photo shows this:

"ICIIM-17 PULLING NORTH ON ML 1 WHEN MWTKC-19 STOPPED NORTH OF SWITCH ON ML 2 READY TO SHOVE WEST. ICIIM DERAILED AT WEST CROSSOVER
SWITCH AND HEADED THRU CROSSOVER, STRIKING AND DERAILING MWTKC-10."

Mike

Reminds me of the UP coal train that fell of a CN/IC overpass over I-57 in Illinois a few years ago.

Pump

Gives new meaning to "curb service".

Jay