May 30, 2017
Archie - I enhanced the image earlier this afternoon and reached the
same conclusion, the last digit appears to be a 7. That would make the
wrecked locomotive No. 7007. Many thanks - Louis
In a message dated 5/30/2017 4:37:29 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
CBQ@yahoogroups.com writes:
Louis, I blew it up and
it seemed to have a 7 on the tender. Archie
May 30, 2017
Ricky - Wonderful find! I wasn't aware of this particular site. I might
be able to enhance one of the images to where I can make out the last digit
of the wrecked Class B-1 locomotive. There were only seven from Lima, 7000
to 7007. Does anyone have a Lines West passenger time table for 1923 that
would let us know what time No. 2 was due in Benkelman? May be a news story
might exist if Benkelman had a newspaper, or in McCook if that was the
Division Point. A nasty wreck to be sure! Thank you very much - Louis
Louis Zadnichek II
Fairhope, AL
Louis
One more web find
https://hiveminer.com/Tags/1923,bluepoint
Ricky Keil
May 30, 2017
Ricky - OK, I know where Benkelman is. And it was the Republican
River in late Spring flood stage we see. That means almost
assuredly it was either an outright wash out or that high water
softened and/or undermined the tracks. Not knowing the time of day or
night the wreck occurred, the engine crew may have never seen the bad
spot in the tracks, or if they did, there was no time to stop. So,
that information sure helps. Now, if we could only find a newspaper
article, hopefully it would tell us what Class B-1 locomotive it was and
other pertinent details. Was Benkelman on the McCook Division? With at
least one fatality, it's a little unusual the wreck doesn't
show-up in the ICC Accident Investigation Reports of the era. Best Regards
- Louis
Louis Zadnichek II
Fairhope, AL
Louis
Sorry, pasted the link and hit send
Here is another link
http://memories.nebraska.gov/cdm/search/collection/hphsm/searchterm/blue%20point/order/nosort
It says Blue Point was east of Benkelman, NE and you are correct,
along the Republican River
Ricky Keil
Papillion, NE
[Attachment(s) from LZadnichek@aol.com included
below]
May 30, 2017
Group - Here's a mystery for our Lines West experts to try and
solve. Following are inserted/attached two images of
a long-ago derailment involving an unidentified Class B-1
4-8-2 type locomotive and its passenger train. The only information
given is the date May 21, 1923, the train is No. 2 and the location
is Blue Point, NE:
<CBQBluePointNEDerailmentTrainNo2-5-21-23.jpg>
<CBQBluePointNEDerailmentTrainNo2-5-21-23-3.jpg>
From the two images, we can see that the locomotive is an almost
new Lima Locomotive Works Class B-1 4-8-2 type constructed in 1922.
It has an extended smoke box for burning lignite coal. There is what
appears in the background to be a river in flood stage. May be the
Republican River? There also appears to be water on both sides of
the right-of-way. I would speculate that the train ran into a wash out
and jumped-the-tracks at speed from the mangled condition of some
of the cars that look to have jack-knifed behind the derailed tender.
There may've been at least one or more shattered wood baggage
or RPO mail cars on the head-end, in addition to the one steel mail
storage/baggage car shown. Lastly, there is an "improved" road and pole
line paralleling the tracks.
I have searched the ICC Accident Investigation Reports for 1923 and
this wreck does not appear. I also searched for the years 1922 and
1924. I do not see the wreck listed. I've been told that ICC
Reports do not usually include accidents where no one was killed or
badly injured and no rules violated. Perhaps, that was the
situation with this wreck, although from the severely torn-up cars, it
makes you wonder. Additionally, I can find no community named
Blue Point in Nebraska. May be that was the name of the nearest siding.
Perhaps, the river and train No. 2 together will point to a clue as
to just where this wreck occurred and any details. You'd think that a
newspaper article in some Nebraska newspaper would've covered this
story. I would like to know what the locomotive's road number was,
too. Can anyone better ID these photographs? Best Regards -
Louis
Louis Zadnichek II
Fairhope, AL
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Posted by: LZadnichek@aol.com
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