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alive; the rest were either killed in the initial impact or by the steam escaping from the engine below. A serviceman who saw the approaching train managed to jump out of a window; the only other survivor was a woman but she survived only 15 minutes after being freed after spending six hours trapped in the wreckage. The accident happened at 7.22 p.m. People from nearby
Michigan were soon on the scene to help with ladders and welding equipment to cut through the steel. As dark came car headlights were used to light the gruesome scene.
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The flagman lit a fusee and ran back down the track to warn the oncoming train, but it was too late; just as First 1 began to move off, and four minutes after it had stopped, it was struck from behind by Second 1. It had managed to slow but struck the rear car of section one at a speed of 45 mph. According to the
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First 1's final stop was made at
Michigan on a shallow curve as the journal was smoking again (the investigation later found the water-line was clogged). The engineer was inspecting the journal when the conductor heard Second 1 approaching – he ordered the fireman to get the train moving.
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practically its entire length by the engine of Second 1, and was demolished. The engine of Second 1 was derailed but remained upright and in line with the track, and was covered by the top and side sheets of the rear car of First 1". Only two of the 35 people in the rear car escaped
382:. Second 1 comprised eleven coaches hauled by locomotive No. 2588. It carried between 600 and 700 people. The trains were under the control of the Office of Defense Transportation (ODT) and most passengers were military personnel and their families.
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In the absence of an automatic blocking system the 20 minute interval between passenger trains was enforced by operators at open stations. Unfortunately between Grand Forks and Surrey, a distance of 200 miles, only four stations were open when the
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The investigation recommended that the
Automatic Block Signal system be extended across the whole of the route. It found that "this accident was caused by failure to provide adequate protection for the preceding train". A
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passed. When the two sections left the last open station 31 minutes apart, the two previous stops had taken 25 minutes, nullifying the 20-minute spacing interval.
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found the flagman and conductor of the lead train to be responsible for the accident and they were dismissed from service.
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590:"Investigation No. 2921 Great Northern Railway Company Report in Re Accident at Michigan, N. Dak., on August 9, 1945"
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423:, the whole of the front train was "driven forward 165 feet by the impact. The rear car, a “bobtail” – part
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ran in two sections, known as First 1 and Second 1. On the fateful day both sections were hauled by
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The locomotive of the first section, No. 2584, has been preserved and is on display at the
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to check the journal and adjust the hose. All the time Second 1 was gaining on it.
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Rear-End
Collision - Two Passenger Trains Michigan North, Dakota - August 9, 1945
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552:. oldestlivingprofootball.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015
386:(ABS) protection was in place up to Fargo but not on the section beyond, via
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Reference Data Sheet No. 152, Great
Northern Railway Historical Society
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the brakeman on First 1 reported smoke coming from the tender, a
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Accidents and incidents involving Great
Northern Railway (U.S.)
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625:Michigan, ND Rear End Railroad Collision, Aug 1945
359:they were twenty minutes apart. They travelled to
598:- The main text of the report is also quoted in "
378:, carrying 237 passengers in eleven cars, mostly
340:Due to heavy patronage during World War II the
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8:
610:, while the summary and illustration are on
374:at 3:25 that afternoon headed by locomotive
355:steam locomotives. When the trains departed
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151:history. It happened on August 9, 1945, at
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692:Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
797:Transportation disasters in North Dakota
822:August 1945 events in the United States
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370:After a crew change, First 1 left
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260:Pullman sleeper-lounge-observation car
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536:Passenger Train Consists of the 1940s
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175:August 9, 1945
143:was the worst rail disaster in both
812:Rail transportation in North Dakota
538:. Wayner Publications. p. 31.
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217:Pullman 4065 tourist sleeping car
214:Pullman 4290 tourist sleeping car
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481:player was killed in the wreck.
550:"Lloyd Sumner 'Shorty' Burdick"
594:Interstate Commerce Commission
427:and part sleeping berths, was
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716:Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
104:Failure to protect lead train
27:Rail disaster in North Dakota
807:Nelson County, North Dakota
630:September 25, 2012, at the
69:Michigan City, North Dakota
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710:Michigan, North Dakota, US
792:Railway accidents in 1945
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672:Railway accidents in 1945
637:Michigan 1945 Train Wreck
570:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
510:ICC Investigation No.2921
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704:London, United Kingdom
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384:Automatic Block Signal
293:GN 65 baggage-mail car
153:Michigan, North Dakota
149:Great Northern Railway
87:Great Northern Railway
50:; 79 years ago
768:48.02333°N 98.12778°W
596:. September 20, 1945.
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817:1945 in North Dakota
357:St. Paul Union Depot
296:CBQ 1476 baggage car
254:Pullman sleeping car
248:Pullman sleeping car
242:Pullman sleeping car
236:Pullman sleeping car
234:General E.S. Godfrey
223:Pullman sleeping car
204:GN 650 dormitory car
141:Michigan train wreck
35:Michigan train wreck
18:Michigan train wreck
773:48.02333; -98.12778
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718:(30 September)
460:Locomotive 2584 at
290:GN 2588 (class S-2)
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48:August 9, 1945
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221:General W.C. Brown
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602:" on pages
556:October 10,
477:, a former
388:Grand Forks
279:Second #1,
786:Categories
485:References
429:telescoped
421:ICC Report
408:Petersburg
312:dining car
230:dining car
211:dining car
183:First #1,
109:Statistics
55:1945-08-09
759:98°7′40″W
756:48°1′24″N
414:Collision
252:Crookston
228:Minnesota
60:7.22 p.m.
628:Archived
566:cite web
376:No. 2584
308:GN 1043
226:GN 1032
207:GN 1030
83:Operator
65:Location
674: (
404:hot box
400:Niagara
365:Willmar
346:Baldwin
197:(class
195:GN 2584
130:Injured
75:Country
53: (
40:Details
612:page 6
392:Surrey
350:GN S-2
348:built
258:Peoria
209:Oregon
165:Trains
122:Deaths
114:Trains
396:Minot
372:Fargo
361:Fargo
353:4-8-4
276:Train
180:Train
101:Cause
741:1946
728:1944
676:1945
606:and
572:link
558:2015
390:and
363:via
147:and
139:The
45:Date
394:to
199:S-2
133:303
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564:{{
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
