Derailments They say if you've seen one derailment you have seen them all. I guess that is one way of looking at it. They all pretty much look like this one on the Pennsylvania Railroad in Indiana in 1970.

Or these. This derailment occurred in my hometown of Miamisburg, Ohio in June 1969 while I was working for Penn Central in engine service. A citizen who was standing in a telephone booth along the tracks at the time of this derailment lost his foot.

There is no denying some of them are worse than others. At least from a crewman's viewpoint. Versailes, Ohio on Christmas 1970.

Wrecking Derricks In the days before the "Cat Packs" of Hulcher and its clones wrecks were cleared away and the track rebuilt with railroad wrecking derricks.

Penn Central's steam wrecker helps clean up the mess on a foggy morning at Miamisburg, Ohio in 1969.

A bit farther south while I was in the Army and stationed at Huntsville, Alabama, a Southern Railway derailment near Courtland, Alabama brought out the Bighooks. It took a lot of skill to manuever cars and locomotives around and to rerail them.

Southerners have unique way of doing things. Out west here on the BNSF if we want to spread ballast we just open up the bottom doors. There is no need to turn them all upside down.

Train of Visitors

Created 03-01-2002
Updated 03-02-2002