Nostalgia & History > Can anyone save me from my senility?

Does anyone remember the story behind this unit? Photographed at San Bernardino in the early 70’s.

Thanks,
Africansteam

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Lemme guess... it was leased to Mexico?

wlankenau Wrote:
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> Lemme guess... it was leased to Mexico?
>
>Good one Walt!

NH2006 Wrote:
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> africansteam Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > B2LEGENDLocalization Definitions
> > N= New Page
> > E = Existing Page - Gets New Nav BarF French
> > F Swedish
> > F German
> > F Italian
> > Item Definition
> > Page Definition
> > L = Localized
> > Does anyone remember the story behind this
> unit?
> > Photographed at San Bernardino in the early
> 70’s.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Africansteam
> >
>
> The French get new nav barf? The engineer was
> senile? Someone sure ruined a finbe piece of
> equipment, but as for the other text: Meesa so
> confuzed!

Sorry folks, that wasn't there when I submitted the post!
Africansteam
>

Be glad to. This was one of two engines involved in an accident at State College Road in Anahiem, California on December 22, 1965. A San Diegan vs cement truck, killing the driver of the truck. This is near the present baseball stadium used by the LA Angeles of Anaheim which was under construction at the time.
My dad was the engineer on this train and sustained major injuries as a result. To this day (he will be 86 in October) he says that the long nose of the PA most likely saved his life. He is still in good health and remembers the accident very well.

I'll bet Doyle McCormick could use the parts from this Alco now!

Jim Baker, Whittier, CA

Valleyhog Wrote:
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> Be glad to. This was one of two engines involved
> in an accident at State College Road in Anahiem,
> California on December 22, 1965. A San Diegan vs
> cement truck, killing the driver of the truck.
> This is near the present baseball stadium used by
> the LA Angeles of Anaheim which was under
> construction at the time.
> My dad was the engineer on this train and
> sustained major injuries as a result. To this day
> (he will be 86 in October) he says that the long
> nose of the PA most likely saved his life. He is
> still in good health and remembers the accident
> very well.

Valleyhog, what a story! Glad to hear that your dad came through it OK. I guess that you could say that the PA had one of the first "safety noses", if not safety cabs". Thanks for replying to my inquiry.

Africansteam

Did that unit roll? It looks like the side panels were pretty messed up.

Valleyhog Wrote:
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> Be glad to. This was one of two engines involved
> in an accident at State College Road in Anahiem,
> California on December 22, 1965. A San Diegan vs
> cement truck, killing the driver of the truck.


Was the 51C the other unit, or was that a different collision?

Yes, the 61 became "airborn" as a result of the crash and rolled on the engineers side for a distance-nearly running into a building adjacent to the tracks.
The second unit was the 51. Both stayed at San Bernardino for quite a few years after the accident.
Many injuries to passengers aboard the train, but the only fatality was the truck driver. As I recall, he was in his early 20's at the time. Please correct my earlier statement-it was a truck load of sand, and not a cement truck.

Yes it was the 51C. The EMDized PAs 51L 51A 51C (ABA) were broken up in the fall of 1965 and ran with regular PAs. The engineer recounted the event at a Santa Fe Historial and Modeller's convention and it was an interesting talk about the accident from his stand point in the cab. Looking at the photo of the 61L, it does looks like he was fortunate to have an ALCo that day instead of a F unit.
This area in Anaheim had three passenger train derailments in about a period of about 5 years. Each involved a truck at either the State College or Katella grade crossings. It was fast track with a curve to the west and I think that there were no gates, just flashing lights. There was one passenger fatality in the three derailment and that was when one of the cars hit a girder on the Santa Ana River bridge.

Here's what was left of ATSF 61 in May 1970. It was stashed way out in the northwest corned of "A" Yard in San Bernardino, where spare bridge sections are stored. The scrappers had already started to work and as I recall the engine block was resting on the ground. All the other PAs had been traded in or sold off by then; I suspect that 61 had to be kept on the property until legal matters had been settled, or at least resolved to the point where this piece of evidence was no longer needed.

"Cold Shot" dept.: I was at a gathering of railfans in the late 1960's and among the slides shown was an earlier photo of the wreck damage. Someone asked "What happened?" "Hit a sand truck in Anaheim." "What happened to the truck driver" "He was killed"; from the back of the room came, "Anyone who wrecks a PA deserves to die!" Note: It wasn't me who said that, but it just proves that hard-core foamers have been around a long time.

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