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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
371:. 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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579:"Investigation No. 2921 Great Northern Railway Company Report in Re Accident at Michigan, N. Dak., on August 9, 1945"
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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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541:. oldestlivingprofootball.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015
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375:(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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144:, and involved Great Northern's premier train, the
614:Michigan, ND Rear End Railroad Collision, Aug 1945
348:they were twenty minutes apart. They travelled to
587:- The main text of the report is also quoted in "
367:, carrying 237 passengers in eleven cars, mostly
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329:Due to heavy patronage during World War II the
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599:, while the summary and illustration are on
363:at 3:25 that afternoon headed by locomotive
344:steam locomotives. When the trains departed
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140:history. It happened on August 9, 1945, at
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681:Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
786:Transportation disasters in North Dakota
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811:August 1945 events in the United States
359:After a crew change, First 1 left
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249:Pullman sleeper-lounge-observation car
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525:Passenger Train Consists of the 1940s
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164:August 9, 1945
132:was the worst rail disaster in both
801:Rail transportation in North Dakota
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527:. Wayner Publications. p. 31.
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206:Pullman 4065 tourist sleeping car
203:Pullman 4290 tourist sleeping car
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470:player was killed in the wreck.
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539:"Lloyd Sumner 'Shorty' Burdick"
583:Interstate Commerce Commission
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416:and part sleeping berths, was
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705:Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
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93:Failure to protect lead train
16:Rail disaster in North Dakota
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796:Nelson County, North Dakota
619:September 25, 2012, at the
58:Michigan City, North Dakota
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781:Railway accidents in 1945
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559:: CS1 maint: unfit URL (
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142:Michigan, North Dakota
138:Great Northern Railway
76:Great Northern Railway
39:; 79 years ago
757:48.02333°N 98.12778°W
585:. September 20, 1945.
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806:1945 in North Dakota
346:St. Paul Union Depot
285:CBQ 1476 baggage car
243:Pullman sleeping car
237:Pullman sleeping car
231:Pullman sleeping car
225:Pullman sleeping car
223:General E.S. Godfrey
212:Pullman sleeping car
193:GN 650 dormitory car
130:Michigan train wreck
24:Michigan train wreck
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707:(30 September)
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279:GN 2588 (class S-2)
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37:August 9, 1945
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210:General W.C. Brown
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591:" on pages
545:October 10,
466:, a former
377:Grand Forks
268:Second #1,
775:Categories
474:References
418:telescoped
410:ICC Report
397:Petersburg
301:dining car
219:dining car
200:dining car
172:First #1,
98:Statistics
44:1945-08-09
748:98°7′40″W
745:48°1′24″N
403:Collision
241:Crookston
217:Minnesota
49:7.22 p.m.
617:Archived
555:cite web
365:No. 2584
297:GN 1043
215:GN 1032
196:GN 1030
72:Operator
54:Location
663: (
393:hot box
389:Niagara
354:Willmar
335:Baldwin
186:(class
184:GN 2584
119:Injured
64:Country
42: (
29:Details
601:page 6
381:Surrey
339:GN S-2
337:built
247:Peoria
198:Oregon
154:Trains
111:Deaths
103:Trains
385:Minot
361:Fargo
350:Fargo
342:4-8-4
265:Train
169:Train
90:Cause
730:1946
717:1944
665:1945
595:and
561:link
547:2015
379:and
352:via
136:and
128:The
34:Date
383:to
188:S-2
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