C&IM = Chicago & Illinois Midland
CP&CtL = Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis
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| Ryan Crawford posted The newspaper photo below shows the aftermath of a devastating wreck at Barr interlocking near Athens when a CNW northbound freight ran through the home signal and broad sided a southbound C&IM empty coal train. The tower operator saw this all developing and exited the tower with only seconds to spare. He headed for the nearby cornfield and turned around at the exact moment the CNW geeps plowed through. Barr tower was reduced to rubble and was never rebuilt. The engineer of the North Western train perished in the collision. What was the date of this wreck at Barr crossing? [Looking Northwest along the C&IM towards Athens, IL] David Jordan Definitely 8-7-63. C&NW freight was out of Madison, IL. Bob Stine You have described the incident exactly right, Mr. Crawford, and it indeed was in the late summer of 1963. I was working the all night shift as hostler at our Tayloville depot and diesel shed when our dispatcher, Dexheimer, suddenly burst out of the door and told me that his telegraph just said that a CNW train had run the red block signal at Barr right into the middle of our passing train, killing their engineer. We learned that their fireman had leaped to safety, and so had the tower operator. JeffandLinda Dirks The C&NW operators at Barr did copy train orders if needed for the C&IM trains. Ryan Crawford JeffandLinda Dirks Jeff, I know that they had a quasi-trailer set up as the tower after this, any idea when the operator job at Barr was eliminated? |
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| Evan Johnson posted |
The operator jobs at Barr we taken off in 1983 I believe. I know several of the operators at the time and the operator on duty the day of this collision has now passed away. I believe the Engr that was killed was John Ferguson. The company had sprayed weed killer on the rails which supposedly contributed to the accident acting as a lubricant and increasing the stopping distance
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The operator job at Barr we taken off in 1983 I believe. I know several of the operators at the time and the operator on duty the day of this collision has now passed away. I believe the Engr that was killed was John Ferguson. The company had sprayed weed killer on the rails which supposedly contributed to the accident acting as a lubricant on the rails.
ReplyDeleteThe operator at Barr involved with this collision, was my Father Billy D. Smith. He died in 2006. I was 1 year old when this happened. He told me how he had to jump from the tower right before it was destroyed by the collision. This was the old wood structure tower with steps leading to the top (It was replaced by a small trailer). He was a Christian man who would take his bible to work, and he threw the bible out and jumped. That bible still exist today with the binder damaged but all pages still intact. He was always haunted by the memories of dealing with the engineer that was killed and the strong smell of diesel and creosote from the railroad ties. It is a miracle that I did not lose my father that fateful day.
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