Bill and group,
I went digging in my old time books and pocket diaries I used to carry on the RR.
Belmont Ave. wreck was 3/4/73. I cant remember which train derailed but believe it was either 67 or 69. I was on #185,ordered for 8PM in Cicero. When we were ready to go there was a long silence and then we were informed to sit tight as there was a derailment out at Belmont. After a long time we learned we were to detour via IHB and CNW to Rochelle. Then later that changed to IHB -MILW road to Savanna. Then we were told to go on temporary tie up at the bunkhouse. Come back in four hours and there should be an opening at Belmont.
After,many,many,more hours there was and we left town,on # 97, as I recall. When we crawled through Belmont the Hulcher guys and BN folks were still very busy digging and filling holes and shoving things around but one track was passable. We stepped off at Aurora 16 hours after going on duty.
The IHB bridge disaster was 8/27/77. My notes show #82 had a 40 foot box car derail at La Grange road and bounce along until the Harbor bridges when all (you know what broke lose). It so happened that Amtrak # 5 happened along at the same time and went into the air space and down onto the Harbor. As I recall Clyde Hughes was the hogger ,on #5 and was literally swimming in diesel fuel when they pulled him out. Clyde died a few years back. Used to bump into him at the grocery store.
My notes show that from the 28th until 9/1 we ran commuter trains between Aurora and Stone Ave and between Brookfield and CUS. In between CTA buses shuttled passengers back and forth. I worked each day and recall that things really went surprisingly smoothly. On 9/1 two temporary bridges were in place and things returned somewhat to normal.
On 10/1 I worked a high wide special from Cicero to Eola via BRC-GMO(Joliet)EJE(Eola). We had six high wide loads that would not clear the temporary bridges and a waycar on each end to facilitate turning or running around the train. If I recall correctly it was a Sunday afternoon and things went extremely smoothly; to the point that once in motion the only time we stopped was to change for the G.M &O. and E.J. &E pilots. Total time on duty was 5 hours. I enjoyed seeing the other roads.
On 11/21 I was called for a work extra that took the new permanent bridge spans to the park.
Leo Phillipp
Richard,
I lived in Downers from 1946 to 1972. The wrecks that I recall were the 1947 Zephyr wreck, an empty ore train that derailed at Forest Ave and involved 10 - 15 cars ( don't recall the date but would guess it to be late 1950s or very early 1960s), the Belmont wreck (date anybody?) and the 1965 Maple Ave. wreck. Further away from Downers were the 1946 Naperville wreck, the September 27, 1964 Montgomery, IL head on collision, and a wreck that occurred at the Q bridge over the IHB in La Grange, I think in the 1970s. My guess is that the ore train derailment might have been the one you saw.
Bill Barber Gravois Mills, MO
Fri Aug 14, 2015 9:25 am (PDT) . Posted by:Not to add confusion to this very interesting topic, but wasn't there another big derailment around Downers Grove in the early 1950's? I know it was later as I was walking around with my Dad and had to be around 10 or 12. It's not this wreck as I would have only been 2 years old in 1947. I remember my Dad and I watching the "Steam" wrecker moving freight car bodies around. I remember the steam coming from the crane, the smell of coal smoke coming from it, and all the clanking noise that it made when working. Those great memories are not forgotten. But what and when was that wreck. Thanks, Richard Forst (formerly from Brookfield, IL).
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