Nostalgia & History > 50 years ago this past Saturday Nite!

50 years ago this Saturday Night September 27, 1964 there was a head on collison between a eastbound Rock Island Lines passenger train and a westbound Burlington Route passenger train in Montgomery, IL near Chicago at 10:49 pm. RI Lines operating crew based out of Blue Island, IL worked from Rock Island to Chicago and the Galesburg,IL based operating worked the westbound from Chicago to Galesburg.

I worked the Montgomery Tower a couple weeks prior to the wreck and took many pictures the morning after the wreck. I made them into a photo blog at:

http://railfan44.blogspot.com/2014/01/major-passenger-train-wreck-montgomery.html


Marty Bernard

But railroad signaling systems are supposed to work perfectly one hundred percent of the time, aren't they?

Wow, some kind of wreck!

CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
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> But railroad signaling systems are supposed to
> work perfectly one hundred percent of the time,
> aren't they?

As I wrote in my photo blog:

"Due to an error in upgrading the plant to electric-powered turnouts compromised the integrity of the plant and turnout #14 was improperly set for the branch and the Zephyr veered off into the waiting Rock Island train. Indications were that the operator had no indication of this error."


Marty Bernard

Yes, but this was human error in not enough checking to make sure the conversion had been set up right. The same thing happens with everyday computer software... A system is only as good as a human designs and implements it.

This is very sad.

CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
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> But railroad signaling systems are supposed to
> work perfectly one hundred percent of the time,
> aren't they?



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/14 21:27 by wabash2800.

MartyBernard Wrote:
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> I worked the Montgomery Tower a couple weeks prior
> to the wreck and took many pictures the morning

Marty, your blog is really amazing. Read every word of both accidents you had posted. Those pictures of the Kettle Railway were TOPS also. Enjoyed seeing that picture of you in 1964 as well as the much more recent one. Am wondering why you use the 44 in your blog's name. I also use 44 in some of my stuff. Probably for the same reason.

Mark

Marty,

Was there any fatalities?

Randy Lundgren
Elgin, TX

By the way that is a interesting blog.

texchief1 Wrote:
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> Marty,
>
> Was there any fatalities?

The deaths and injuries are mentioned in the blog....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/30/14 06:58 by wabash2800.