Railroaders' Nostalgia > SP Lark Streamliners Sideswipe - 1959

Years before my Southern Pacific career began, this accident was published in our local newspaper. I did not have access to any railroad oriented publications back then, so this was all I ever learned. Years later I experienced how inaccurate news articles could be, but as far as I know this 1959 article is correct.

In 1979 my boss was in my office in San Jose, CA one afternoon when one of his old friends, Conductor Woody Hare, spotted him and walked in for a visit between trains. Mr. Hare was then working the San Francisco – San Jose commutes but had of course worked other passenger runs and freight in his long career. I had not met him before but enjoyed his visit.

They got to talking about old times and this accident came up in the conversation. Although not on either Lark crew, he recalled some of the details he had learned. Blame for the approximately 3 AM accident was laid on the Lark engineer who had not stopped short of the switch before re-entering the mainline despite a red signal and the most obvious fact that the other Lark was still passing by. An interesting aside was his comment that although not part of the cause of the accident, the conductor on the eastbound Lark had been drinking. He could not avoid face-to-face interviews with investigating SP officials and the smell of alcohol was evident. At the end of his run he marked off and retired on the spot to avoid formal investigation and dismissal.

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The ICC report:
http://specialcollection.dotlibrary.dot.gov/Document?db=DOT-RAILROAD&query=(select+3827)

It notes that he'd put a "flag staff" in place to keep the deadman's pedal down and placed a plug in the bail of the independent brake valve. The report also states he had heart issues.

A little known bit of trivia is that the E unit shown in the picture was repaired and used later in the year as the lead unit on the Kruschev Special. 

The fireman on #75 was John Weaver. Hard time staying awake grinding up the hill.  Told me about it one night working the east end to Santa Barbara when I fired for him on the Zipper.   He was a an SLO man but was working out of the City because of a down turn in business.  When he finally got the whiskers, he brought a house in El Wood and worked the east end to Santa Barb and then LA.  I think the hoghead was Hans Ekome, but can't find my notes.

Nudge

Sideswiped?  That looks like more than a sideswipe.  I think of a sideswipe as some scratches and slight damage to the body.  I guess that's more of what you have with automobiles.  Break the mirror off, dislodge some trim.  Make the door hard to open and scratch the side.  

Anyway, interesting details.

John

The engineer was a city man named "H C Van Zandt". no relation to Olin.  Walked off the grade, no one saw him leave the accident sight, and retired the next day.  

Hans Eckholm wes the engineer who hit the caboose at Henry.  Fireman was Cissner.  Tex fields and Crosno were in the caboose, neither worked again, 

Thanks Jim, thats right.  Almost forgot about poor Howard. He just couldn't do anything right and was always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Nudge

Not much of an ICC report, but it was probably written after reviewing the SP forms C.S. 2957s.

Its glaring error is that it states the four locomotives lead by the SP 6049 were derailed "and stopped upright".

Nudge....... was that "Earthquake Weaver" by chance? If so I worked with him in Oakland for a couple of weeks back in maybe '68, '69. He kicked a car down on top of our cab with two of the crew inside; no injuries but never saw that cab again. Weaver's only comment to me was "didn't see your signals". The trainmaster interviewed and believed my story which I reiterated at the investigation. I never saw or heard anything of "earthquake" again but then I was a bit of a non-joiner as was often shunned by most other employees for being a "college boy". Six months later I quit and went into architecture where I remain to this day. The Weaver incident had a lot to do with that decision.

Posted from iPhone

This accident wrecked the obs on #76 (the former Muskingum River) and started the chain of events that removed that service from the trains.

WP-M2051 Wrote:
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> This accident wrecked the obs on #76 (the former
> Muskingum River) and started the chain of events
> that removed that service from the trains.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Hmmmm, wonder if this is one of those "which came first, the chicken r the egg?" situations.  I know the observation car service ended with the discontinuance of # 77/78, the Oakland Larks, and recall that the end of this service was not too far removed from the date of this wreck, though I've never heard of these two events being connected.  I'd like to hear from someone who knows the rest of the story....for sure.  AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

They used blunt end 10-6 PS sleepers until 1967 on 75/76