Nostalgia & History > Roseville Yard Explosion April, 1973

Great article by John Signor on the Roseville Yard explosion in April, 1973 in the winter 2011 of the SP Trainline. A must read! Hopefully, JLY will give us an overview of that day as he was one of the company officers on the scene.

How do you get it. I was in Biggs, CA, on that day and outside. I heard the noise and felt the explosion. I would love to read the article. Biggs is about 70 miles north of Roseville.

Some big hobby stores may carry it. Its through the SP Historical and Technical Society, their magazine

I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but it looks like a great article. Trainline is my favorite railfan publication; Signor does a very fine job!

Simple Story:
18 DODX cars set out on the west end of Antelope 7 and loaded with MK82 aerial bombs detonated from unknown causes between 8:04AM and 11:00AM on April 28, 1973.

JLY Wrote:
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> Simple Story:
> 18 DODX cars set out on the west end of Antelope 7
> and loaded with MK82 aerial bombs detonated from
> unknown causes between 8:04AM and 11:00AM on April
> 28, 1973.

Wow. About as short of an account as you can get. Good thing you didn't write the article. Would have been a lot of blank pages :-(

Here is the "official" DOT report on this incident - interesting reading.

http://ntl2.specialcollection.net/scripts/ws.dll?websearch&site=dot_railroads

Scroll down to "1973" and then the second report for Southern Pacific.

Eli Brown was a switchman in Roseville who I believe pulled the pin on these bomb cars and pulled several away from danger. He was rewarded (?) with a job as an assistant trainmaster who was assigned to Amtrak when I worked the Starlight as a fireman in the 80's when SP still supplied the crews. He later worked as a conductor in LA and was a real nice guy to work with.

Railbaron Wrote:
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> Here is the "official" DOT report on this incident
> - interesting reading.
>
>
>
> Scroll down to "1973" and then the second report
> for Southern Pacific.

Signor used a lot of this report for the story

switchlamp Wrote:
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> Eli Brown was a switchman in Roseville who I
> believe pulled the pin on these bomb cars and
> pulled several away from danger. He was rewarded
> (?) with a job as an assistant trainmaster who was
> assigned to Amtrak when I worked the Starlight as
> a fireman in the 80's when SP still supplied the
> crews. He later worked as a conductor in LA and
> was a real nice guy to work with.

This is the first myth that has been posted here on this subject with probably many more to follow.

JLY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> switchlamp Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Eli Brown was a switchman in Roseville who I
> > believe pulled the pin on these bomb cars and
> > pulled several away from danger. He was
> rewarded
> > (?) with a job as an assistant trainmaster who
> was
> > assigned to Amtrak when I worked the Starlight
> as
> > a fireman in the 80's when SP still supplied
> the
> > crews. He later worked as a conductor in LA and
> > was a real nice guy to work with.
>
> This is the first myth that has been posted here
> on this subject with probably many more to follow.


I have to agree. Wasn't it a fellow named Gorman?

V

SLOCONDR

SLOCONDR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JLY Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > switchlamp Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Eli Brown was a switchman in Roseville who I
> > > believe pulled the pin on these bomb cars and
> > > pulled several away from danger. He was
> > rewarded
> > > (?) with a job as an assistant trainmaster
> who
> > was
> > > assigned to Amtrak when I worked the
> Starlight
> > as
> > > a fireman in the 80's when SP still supplied
> > the
> > > crews. He later worked as a conductor in LA
> and
> > > was a real nice guy to work with.
> >
> > This is the first myth that has been posted
> here
> > on this subject with probably many more to
> follow.
>
>
> I have to agree. Wasn't it a fellow named Gorman?
>
> V
>
> SLOCONDR


Gary Gorman he was Asst. Trainmaster in Salinas around 1977 he worked under Fulkerson (Flukie)

SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SLOCONDR Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > JLY Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > switchlamp Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > Eli Brown was a switchman in Roseville who
> I
> > > > believe pulled the pin on these bomb cars
> and
> > > > pulled several away from danger. He was
> > > rewarded
> > > > (?) with a job as an assistant trainmaster
> > who
> > > was
> > > > assigned to Amtrak when I worked the
> > Starlight
> > > as
> > > > a fireman in the 80's when SP still
> supplied
> > > the
> > > > crews. He later worked as a conductor in LA
> > and
> > > > was a real nice guy to work with.
> > >
> > > This is the first myth that has been posted
> > here
> > > on this subject with probably many more to
> > follow.
> >
> >
> > I have to agree. Wasn't it a fellow named
> Gorman?
> >
> > V
> >
> > SLOCONDR
>
>
> Gary Gorman he was Asst. Trainmaster in Salinas
> around 1977 he worked under Fulkerson (Flukie)

Yes he became trainmaster at Fresno. He didn't do anything heroic at Roseville but offered his services to R.L.King that fateful afternoon.

I was just repeating the story that has been told for a long time. Eli will always be the hero in many minds !

switchlamp Wrote:
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> I was just repeating the story that has been told
> for a long time. Eli will always be the hero in
> many minds !

Hero on what grounds? A falsehood.

JLY Wrote:
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> Hero on what grounds? A falsehood.


Damn! Another time I have to agree with you. This is getting to be too common place...lol

V

SLOCONDR

The only heroes, if you want to call them that, were the officers that went into the yard and move cuts away from the bombs. One must remember that most probably served in WWII or Korea, perhaps seeing combat under similar situations with bombs exploding all around.

SLOCONDR Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JLY Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Hero on what grounds? A falsehood.
>
>
> Damn! Another time I have to agree with you. This
> is getting to be too common place...lol
>
> V
>
> SLOCONDR

Careful V. Agreeing twice might make you a assistant trainmaster, lol.. :-(

WAF Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SLOCONDR Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > JLY Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Hero on what grounds? A falsehood.
> >
> >
> > Damn! Another time I have to agree with you.
> This
> > is getting to be too common place...lol
> >
> > V
> >
> > SLOCONDR
>
> Careful V. Agreeing twice might make you a
> assistant trainmaster, lol.. :-(

Naw WAF SLOCONDR and I are closer to being on the same page than you know.

JLY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WAF Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > SLOCONDR Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > JLY Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > Hero on what grounds? A falsehood.
> > >
> > >
> > > Damn! Another time I have to agree with you.
> > This
> > > is getting to be too common place...lol
> > >
> > > V
> > >
> > > SLOCONDR
> >
> > Careful V. Agreeing twice might make you a
> > assistant trainmaster, lol.. :-(
>
> Naw WAF SLOCONDR and I are closer to being on the
> same page than you know.


Well, again, I hate to admit it, but I think you may be correct. Damnit.

V

SLOCONDR