--- In CBQ@yahoogroups.com, Jpslhedgpeth@... wrote:
>
> You guys that want all the details on the Naperville wreck need to
contact
>
> Jim Christen
> 626 Morningside Drive
> Naperville, IL 60563
>
> 630 357 1861
>
> Jim has and knows everything anyone would ever want to know about
the
> event..He has photos and newspaper clippings and even a piece of
the window frame
> from the SILVER INN.
>
> Jim does not have and never will have e mail, but he'll be able to
give you
> any information you want.
>
> Pete Hedgpeth
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
Hi Pete -
I thought I would add a few comments of my own. You're right about
Jim Christen being a "storehouse" of information concerning the
Naperville Wreck! When I first hired-out on the "Q" I talked to a
number of "old timers" about the wreck for some insight as to what
happened. Karl Rethwisch and I also discussed the accident
extensively as he too, had a keen interest in the cause of the
wreck. What I recall from those discussions was that engineer Blaine
had spent most of his career working yard jobs at Galesburg and had
decided to try his hand at "thru" passenger service before retiring.
Keep in mind, there was no "mandatory" retirement age for engineers
in 1946 (that didn't occur until 1964, when mandatory retirement at
age 70 was instituted). Karl and I could not determine just exactly
when Blaine took the passenger assignment, but estimated he had
worked it less than a year at the time of the accident at
Naperville. This is not to take away from his abilities as a
locomotive engineer, just that I don't think he had a lot of time
running thru passenger, especially on the East End (Chicago-Aurora),
with its close block signal spacing. One thing to remember is at the
time of the accident, signal sequencing went from green, to yellow,
to red, in a distance of about two miles. The operating practice at
the time for a following train was to stay as close to the preceding
train as possible. This meant that engineer Blaine, after passing
a "clear" (green) signal, would see that the next signal in advance
would be "approach" (yellow) but just prior to passing under the
yellow signal, it would turn "clear". I would suspect this is the
method of operation Blaine followed, ever since he crossed over to
main #2 at Kedzie Ave. (try to guess how many signals that would have
been, before he arrived abruptly at Loomis St.?; I have no idea). As
a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised, at a few of those signals
the indication didn't change from yellow to green, but stayed yellow -
the key here, in this case, was that Blaine could see the next
signal, which would be red, briefly, then change to yellow. In this
situation, I would guess that Blaine backed-off on the throttle
because he was catching-up too fast on #11. This worked fine, pacing
himself behind #11, until he got to block signal 2-27.1, just east of
the Naperville Country Club and the east end of the right hand,
sweeping curve into Naperville. I am positive signal 2-27.1 was
yellow when Blaine went by it as #11 was stopped in the next block.
Block signal 2-28.1 was around the curve, on tangent track just west
of the Columbia St. overhead road bridge (see page 169 in Bulletin
#42). My thoughts are that Blaine's view of that signal were blocked
by the bridge stucture or if there was ANY vehicular traffic passing
over the bridge at the time #39 was straining to see the signal, it
certainly obstructed the view of signal 2-28.1. Even if he could see
the red signal, he was assuming that it would change to yellow before
he got to it, just like it probably did previously. By the time
Blaine could see that the signal was staying red and he could see #11
stopped ahead, it was just too late to stop short. Due to the
estimated three minute separation of the two trains, there wasn't
much time for the flagman on the stopped #11 to go back a sufficient
distance to flag down #39 traveling at 80+/- MPH. After this
accident, the most significant change in operation was to the signal
sequencing; the addition a "flashing yellow" Approach Medium
indication, between the green signal and the yellow signal, that
remains to this day on the East End. The flashing yellow added
another block between the green signal and the red signal, which
allows more time to stop. To me, Blaine was a victim of circumstance
and it cost dearly. What a sad way to end a RR career and I'm sure
it was on Blaine's mind until the day he died.
Bob Campbell
Naperville, IL
PS - I'll have to make a copy of this thread for Jim the next time he
stops by for a haircut! I'll have to remind him that the signal
bridge concrete base for signal 28.1 is still there on the south side
of main #3, if he's still looking for souvenirs!
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