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| Book of Wrecks entry for April 14 (1640721) | |||
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Book of Wrecks entry for April 14 |
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Posted by Steve B-8AVEXP on Mon Apr 14 13:16:06 2025 It was on this date in 1967 - the very same day we left South Bend - that a South Bend-bound South Shore train lost it's brakes, then power, as it approached the western outskirts of South Bend. Hurting out of control at 40 mph along LaSalle St., the train struck six automobiles before tearing through a bumper post in the storage yard and coming to rest in a recycling facility. The motorman leaped from the cab just seconds before impact, breaking both of his legs.It was determined that a length of cable between the rails punctured the air reservoir, causing loss of brake pressure. When the conductor attempted to apply the hand brake, the chain broke. The motorman was able to slow the train from 70 mph down to 40 mph by throwing the reverser into reverse, but it was still traveling too fast for the curves along the street running portion. The pantograph was sheared off the roof on such a curve. Following a similar incident a week later, modifications were made on all cars, and two-car trains in and out of South Bend became the norm until street running ended in 1970. |
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