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the engineer was recovered he was still sitting in his seat with his hand on the throttle. "Two other cars ended up deep in the roaring creek". Rescue efforts were mounted by the train crew and uninjured passengers; smashing windows on the partly submerged cars to provide escape routes. Although the official death toll stands at 47, this is an estimate as several bodies were swept into the
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The investigation determined that the volume and velocity of water flowing beneath the bridge that night was "much in excess of any that had been experienced before or might be anticipated at this place". The bridge structure was still intact when the train reached it but two of the central piers had
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deposited an estimated 4 to 7 inches (100 to 180 mm) of rain on the area drained by the creek. The previous train had crossed the bridge at 10:15 p.m. at which point the engineer estimated the water to be about three or four feet (0.91 or 1.22 m) deep. Twenty minutes later, in view of
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crossed at 12:35 a.m. the bridge collapsed; the engine and seven passenger cars were thrown into the swollen creek. On the west bank the locomotive and five cars were "piled in a shambles of crumpled steel", killing the engineer and fireman. The wreck happened so quickly that when the body of
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the heavy rainfall experienced the section foreman performed an inspection of the track and estimated the depth of water to be six or seven feet (1.8 or 2.1 m) beneath the level of the girders of the bridge (i.e. around six feet (1.8 m) deep), giving no indication of the trouble to come.
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and carrying 155 passengers when it neared Custer Creek at a speed of 50 mph. There was no water on the track to warn the engineer that beneath was a torrent of water thirty feet (9.1 m) high, battering at the bridge foundations, and no brake application was made.
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50 miles (80 km) downstream. 75 people were injured. Newspapers reported the paradox that modern air-conditioned rolling stock requiring sealed windows, and the use of shatterproof glass was partially responsible for some deaths.
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carrying the single track across the creek resting on concrete piers. An inspection of the bridge earlier that year had concluded the bridge was in good condition with sufficient
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Custer Creek itself normally runs dry for nine months of the year and had never been known to rise to a depth of more than five feet (1.5 m). But on the night in question a
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The bridge, number AA-438, was 180 feet (55 m) long and had been constructed in 1913. It consisted of two 50-foot (15 m)
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history. It occurred on June 19, 1938 when a bridge, its foundations washed away by a flash flood, collapsed beneath
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been undermined. The weight of the locomotive caused the piers to subside and the bridge to collapse.
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350:"Places of Interest : Custer Creek, MT, site of 1938 train wreck (Archived copy)"
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Accidents and incidents involving
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
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http://montanahistorywiki.pbworks.com/Disasters+in+Montana#1938floodandtrainwreck
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Visit Terry
Montana: Prairie County Museum and Evelyn Cameron Gallery
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435:"Custer Creek, MT Washout Of Trestle Causes Wreck, June 1938
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Custer Creek, MT Washout Of
Trestle Causes Wreck, June 1938
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No.220 and comprised eleven cars. It was traveling from
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463:Railroad Signatures across the Pacific Northwest
377:"Chicago Milwaukee St Paul & Pacific 4-8-4s"
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483:"Wanted-Signal to Warn Train Crew of Washout"
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730:Railway accidents and incidents in Montana
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408:Life magazine, Vol. 5 No. 1 July 4, 1938
745:Bridge disasters caused by scour damage
465:by Carlos A. Schwantes, pages 278-279,
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509:by Edgar A. Haine, p106-7, publ 1993,
485:. The Milwaukee Journal. June 26, 1938
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309:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
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16:Train wreck outside of Saugus, Montana
760:June 1938 events in the United States
740:Bridge disasters in the United States
366:Milwaukee Road Historical Association
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725:1938 disasters in the United States
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162:as it crossed Custer Creek, near
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148:) is the worst rail disaster in
554:Interstate Commerce Commission
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182:and five reinforced concrete
437:The Ogden Standard Examiner
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381:donsdepot.donrossgroup.net
720:Railway accidents in 1938
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638:Custer Creek, Montana, US
606:Railway accidents in 1938
530:November 2, 2010, at the
411:. Time Inc. July 4, 1938.
221:that night was hauled by
142:Custer Creek train wreck
24:Custer Creek train wreck
750:Prairie County, Montana
537:, Montana June 23, 1938
696:46.70028°N 105.48611°W
644:South Jordan, Utah, US
632:London, United Kingdom
626:London, United Kingdom
571:British Pathe newsreel
144:(sometimes called the
39:; 86 years ago
550:Investigation No.2278
439:, Utah June 20, 1938"
334:Investigation No.2278
701:46.70028; -105.48611
535:The Billings Gazette
443:www.gendisasters.com
424:Disasters in Montana
356:on November 25, 2010
190:in place to prevent
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291:on January 22, 2011
184:trestle slab spans
180:plate girder spans
146:Saugus train wreck
37:June 19, 1938
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619:Location and date
471:978-0-295-97535-1
252:Yellowstone River
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198:Custer Creek
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699: /
687:105°29′10″W
714:Categories
684:46°42′01″N
628:(10 March)
272:References
204:cloudburst
115:Passengers
102:Statistics
97:Cloudburst
49:12.35 a.m.
44:1938-06-19
640:(19 June)
223:Class S-2
634:(17 May)
528:Archived
448:July 20,
386:July 20,
305:cite web
295:June 29,
256:Glendive
247:Olympian
219:Olympian
212:Olympian
192:scouring
159:Olympian
76:Operator
54:Location
608: (
489:July 5,
360:June 8,
245:As the
230:Chicago
188:rip-rap
150:Montana
131:Injured
68:Country
60:, near
42: (
29:Details
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234:Tacoma
123:Deaths
107:Trains
241:Wreck
226:4-8-4
168:Terry
94:Cause
669:1939
656:1937
610:1938
511:ISBN
491:2012
467:ISBN
450:2020
388:2020
362:2009
311:link
297:2010
140:The
34:Date
332:ICC
232:to
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