Aerojet
Active Member
Monday night I was reading the paper about 4:15 and the news had "breaking news" - that there was a train car crash at Brookfield. One look at the clock told me something had been run over by # 7 - the westbound Empire Builder. Yup -- one 70 yo man dead.
According to the news and the internet followup - the guy went around one or two cars which were stopped for the train. Gates down, signals going. I guess he thought it was another slow freight coming up the sub-continental divide between Elm Grove and Brookfield.
With 3 P42DC locos, 8 cars, and 200 passengers this thing was screaming along at the track speed for Main 1 - 65.
The best guess by the Dupy gang is this. He decided not to wait for the "slow freight" and pulled out to go around the gates, not realizing that it was in fact Amtrak. Pulling onto the grade crossing just as the lead did, he had no time to do much except ....... This was the result -
That was a Dodge Grand Caravan - the front clip was sliced off and is wayy down the tracks back at Brookfield road - the train went a good half mile before stopping. The car is crushed to about 20 inches wide, note where the front coupler is. Pieces of sheet metal are scattered all over the place back there. This thing just exploded. IF you note the blue thing is guess the "body" and it is not straight. They had a lot of trouble getting it out of the car (police radio traffic) and more trouble getting the car off the front of the loco.
They sat there for five hours, the passengers were left on board while this whole fiasco went on. Left for Portland at 9Pm.
Your local Dupy Reporter -
The Aerojet
According to the news and the internet followup - the guy went around one or two cars which were stopped for the train. Gates down, signals going. I guess he thought it was another slow freight coming up the sub-continental divide between Elm Grove and Brookfield.
With 3 P42DC locos, 8 cars, and 200 passengers this thing was screaming along at the track speed for Main 1 - 65.
The best guess by the Dupy gang is this. He decided not to wait for the "slow freight" and pulled out to go around the gates, not realizing that it was in fact Amtrak. Pulling onto the grade crossing just as the lead did, he had no time to do much except ....... This was the result -
That was a Dodge Grand Caravan - the front clip was sliced off and is wayy down the tracks back at Brookfield road - the train went a good half mile before stopping. The car is crushed to about 20 inches wide, note where the front coupler is. Pieces of sheet metal are scattered all over the place back there. This thing just exploded. IF you note the blue thing is guess the "body" and it is not straight. They had a lot of trouble getting it out of the car (police radio traffic) and more trouble getting the car off the front of the loco.
They sat there for five hours, the passengers were left on board while this whole fiasco went on. Left for Portland at 9Pm.
Your local Dupy Reporter -
The Aerojet