Gasconade River Bridge Derailment Accident - MP 123.3 - 1/18/1961

Following are some pictures of a derailment accident that happened on the Gasconade River bridge, MP 123.3 on or shortly before January 18, 1961.

This is on the Frisco's Eastern Division, Lebanon Subdivision. This location is between Arlington, MP 122.7 and Jerome, MP 123.7, about four miles west of Newburg, MO, MP 119.9.

As with my earlier postings of the Mansfield, MO accident, also in 1961 - it was a bad year!, these pictures were taken by the late John Sillick, and are now part of the collection of Jeff Cooney, a Rock Island friend of mine and of others in frisco.org.

Thank you, Jeff, for providing these pictures, and thanks also to Don Wirth who kindly scanned them from 35mm slides into digital pictures for us.

You can see the accident resulted in a number of freight cars derailing on the bridge, causing significant damage to the bridge structure, and blocking the line.

The repair crew is hard at work as shown in these pictures. They are removing each wrecked car and, where necessary, are simply shoving them over the side to fall down into the Gasconade River.

I have additional pictures of the recovery work and bridge repair, and will post them shortly. There is a surprise included with them you will enjoy seeing. Comments and observations from any of you are most welcome. For one thing, I can't decide which direction we are looking at in the work train view (pic 1464).

Any ideas?

Also, does anyone have any information on this accident?

Was it an eastbound or westbound train?

Which train?

Is this the accident that resulted in the replacement of one or more of the bridge spans here?

In the siding on the left is the work train from St. Louis. It includes a crew coach, 2 40' outside braced boxcars, a gondola and a 40' flat car. On the south side of the work train, rising above the cars is the boom of a presumed tracked or wheeled crane.

In the distance, just right of the image center are CTC signals and the start of a controlled passing siding. The facing signal to the right of the main track has an "A" plate. This marks it an absolute signal. It cannot be passed unless a proceed indication is displayed or authority is given by the dispatcher.

Adjacent to the opposing 2 head signal on the south side of the track is a concrete lineside relay shed. It contains signal communication equipment, relays and wiring for the for the CTC system. Attached to the outside right corner is a small motor car indicator signal. It indicates block occupancy and is used as a safety device primarily by track workers and inspectors.

Further in the distance near the bridge spans is an EMD switch engine in black and yellow with a large silver derrick crane near the east bridge truss. The crane is clearing derailed cars, including a 40' Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) boxcar, before the bridge spans.

In this view are 8 workers. Note the two men in white paper hats and aprons. Suspect that they are present to handle kitchen staff duties to help feed the their hungry coworkers.

Note the telegraph and signal pole line on the south side of the tracks.

View is looking west northwest.



Image shows the center 143'-6" span of the Warren through riveted truss. This and the west truss to the left would ultimately be replaced with 4 72'-10" deck plate girder spans. The east truss has not been replaced. Below is a yellow maintenance of way truck and crew on a gravel bar upstream of the bridge. Note the damaged 40' Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT or Katy) boxcar and an unidentified boxcar.

There are at least 10 workers in this view. On the bridge are 5 workers preparing the damaged cars for removal. In the river bottoms are an additional 5 workers clearing debris from the river bed and banks.

View looking north northwest.



In this view we can identify the Katy Boxcar, MKT 97643. On the right below the bridge, down stream to the north, is a damaged Chicago North Western (CNW) boxcar. The pictures show parts of the cars falling into the river, splashes are from other parts hitting the water and the dust like cloud is granular or powered contents of the cars. Note the truck bolster and one side frame hanging by its brake rod rigging.

You can also see some of the structural damage to the bridge truss. Multiple panels sections have sustained damage. There are several bent, compromised, missing or otherwise damaged beams, cross braces, laterals and struts.

Note on the near side of the bridge, adjacent to the unidentified boxcar, the multi cross-arms with glass cone shaped insulators structure. Attached to the side of the bridge, this helped carry railroad telegraph and signal pole line wires across the river. It too was damaged with the bride structure.

View looking north northwest.



Once again, be patient, these are big picture files. I left them that way so it will be possible to zoom in and still see detail.

Ken

Edit 1/7/2024: Added captions for the photographs.
MKD

 

Thanks, Tom.

The work train is on a siding, which no longer shows up on my 1980's track plan. Plus, the signals do not show on my track plan. And, there are Ozark hills in the background in both directions, so I had no idea which way we are looking here.

What gives you the thought it is an eastbound view?

The wreck sure tore up the bridge truss. The wreck crew had a lot of faith going out there and working on it with the load of all the wrecked cars still on the bridge.

Ken

 

Due to the shadows from the angle of the sun in picture 1464, the view has to be in one of three possible general directions, East, West, or South.

In picture 1480, the sun is coming from the from the right, the hillside in the background implies the Gasconade River is curving around to the left, and the vehicle under the bridge is sitting on a sand/gravel bar. Looking at satellite and topo images, tells me that picture 1480 is looking to the Northeast.

The last picture is from the same side of the bridge (Southern) as picture 1480. Notice the rail car on the riverbed on the opposite side of the bridge (Northern) and the gaping hole in that side of the bridge seems to indicate that most of the energy of the derailment went to the North side of the bridge.

Therefore, picture 1464 is looking West because of the angle of the sun, the derailed rail cars on the right side of the bridge, the relatively long straight run before the bridge, the presence of houses high on the hillside to the right in the distance, and what looks like the Missouri Route D overpass in the distance beyond the bridge.

 

The orientation of line and the bridge over the Gasconade River is close to true east-west with a slight upward tilt to the northwest.

I'd guess westbound is maybe 275-280 degrees, eastbound 95-100 degrees there.

If I can find a protractor, I'll measure it off of my USGS map.

Ken

 

Thanks Brad!

Given that view looking at the wreck train being to the west, one assumes the wrecker came down from Lindenwood.

Notice one of the big silver wreck cranes sitting just in front of the bridge behind the switcher. But, it probably did not prove to be of much value given its size, and much of the wrecked cars being inside the second and third bridge trusses. It likely didn't have enough clearance to do much.

And that is a good lead in to the second grouping of slides, which I will try to post tonight. Not enough time now.

You will enjoy them, and the surprise I promised.

Ken

 

Here is the second series of pictures of the 1/18/1961 accident on the Gasconade River bridge between Arlington and Jerome, MO.

As with my earlier postings of this accident, these pictures were taken by the late John Sillick, and are now part of the collection of Jeff Cooney, a Rock Island friend of mine and of others in frisco.org. Thank you, Jeff, for providing these pictures, and thanks also to Don Wirth who kindly scanned them from 35mm slides into digital pics for us.

These pictures provide some better views of the damage to the bridge trusses, and the temporary repairs that were made. Shortly thereafter in 1961, the middle and west, Jerome, side truss bridge structures were replaced by two deck girder spans. The truss bridge on the Arlington side remained, and is still in use today. It must have been damaged only slightly, or not at all, in this accident.

Here are some comments on the individual pictures:

Look who has arrived to help out! Surprise!

Small crane SLSF 99053 and steam generator car SLSF 52. They are shown on the Jerome side of the bridge (Brad - am I correct?). Crane SLSF 99053, which was ancient, was at one time steam powered with its own boiler. I would presume the boiler has been removed by 1961, and SLSF 52 is providing steam for it and for a pile driver it has with it.



You can see how much easier it will be for crane 99053 to work within the confines of the truss structure than could the big wrecker crane that came down from Lindenwood as shown on picture 1464 posted earlier.



Here is SLSF 99053 at work. You can see steam generator car SLSF 52 at work also. And - the extensive damage to the west and center truss bridge structures is evident. The main channel of the Gasconade River is to the right, under the east truss bridge, which is longer than the other two spans as I recall.



A close up of SLSF 99053 and SLSF 52. You can also see the pile driver at work. The crew is driving in piles to help shore up the bridge structure.



An even closer view of the pile driver.

Is it steam powered or compressed air powered?

Looks like it has a steam exhaust to me. You can also see some of the piles it has driven into the bank below. Note the yellow generator set there, which could be an air compressor.



Once again - be patient, these are big picture files. I left them that way so it will be possible to zoom in and still see detail.

Does anybody have a diagram of SLSF 99053?

Comments and builds will be appreciated!

Ken

 

Tom,

Dunno.

That's why I was asking if anyone in frisco.org had a diagram sheet for SLSF 99053.

Cranes don't need a boiler supply with a lot of capacity because of the mechanical advantage of their winch & drum systems. All they need is a boiler of sufficient pressure to do the job.

Certainly if a boiler good enough could fit within the cab of SLSF 99053, then SLSF 52 should have been able to supply it enough steam.

What was the psi output of SLSF 52?

Does anyone know?

Could also have been that the SLSF 52 was there just for the pile driver. I really don't know. One thing is for sure - they needed the 52 there for something! I don't see any exhaust coming out of the crane cab, so my assumption was that the 52 was supplying steam to crane SLSF 9952 and the pile driver. That's just my assumption - hope others in frisco.org can confirm.

One thing we know for sure - this accident did the center and western trusses in!

Ken

ps - I'm sure glad I didn't have to do the shear and bending moment diagrams on the western and center trusses in picture 1479 to say if they were safe or not! Yikes! I bet they called up "Wild Bill Atchley" at MSM on that one.

 

In picture 1484, there are two welder generators present - no air compressor.

I am pretty sure that SLSF 99053 and the pile driver are operating on steam pressure. A small steam engine such as would operate 99053 would typically operate on about 125 psi, which is also enough for a pile driver.

I had a great uncle who was a crane and dragline operator for a local construction company in Cape Girardeau and he told stories about operating steam powered cranes and pile drivers. As I recall the most pressure that he ever mentioned was 150 psi for either.

I would imagine that the Steam Generator Car had to have a relatively high pressure steam system in order to deliver enough thermal energy the length of a passenger train.

 

Paul ,

I had the same thought!

Other than in some 1950's troop trains, I wonder how often the steam generator cars were actually used in SLSF passenger service?

Ken

 

I was a Freshman at MSM in Rolla in Jan, 1961, fighting off the math and chemistry tsunamis that make the first year there so much fun.

Thus, I didn't pay much attention to the local news and have no memory of ever hearing this accident reported on the radio or in the newspaper.

If I had, I would have picked up a copy of the Rolla Daily News, and for sure, would still have it today.

Rats!

Ken

 

Paul and other aspiring Steam Generator car modelers,

FMIG Newsletter #23 has a thorough article on modeling Steam Generator Cars SLSF 51 and SLSF 52, along with drawings, provided by Dan Overbey.

I'm trying to spend a few minutes of lunch break working on the FMIG Newsletter index, and just came across this article.

Best Regards,