1971 — June 10, Amtrak train derails, northbound City of New Orleans, near Salem, IL–11
–11 Adams and Seibold. Great Train Wrecks of Eastern Pennsylvania. 1992, p. 144.
–11 AP. “Locked engine wheel blamed…derailment…killed 11.” So. Illinoisan, 6-11-1971, p.1.
–11 NTSB. Derailment of Amtrak Train No. 1 While Operating on the Illinois Central…
Narrative Information
NTSB: “Executive Summary. Amtrak train No. 1, a southbound passenger train operating on the tracks of the Illinois Central Railroad between Chicago, Illinois, and New Orleans, Louisiana, derailed near Salem, Illinois, on June 10, 1971. Two locomotive units and the first seven cars were turned over on their sides. The derailment resulted in 11 fatalities and 163 injuries.
“Probable Cause. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the displacement of the east stock rail of the southward main track by the false flange on the left-hand wheel on the leading axle of the rear truck of locomotive unit 4031. This wheel slid flat when the traction-motor armature bearings failed and locked the driving wheels. Failure to detect the sliding wheels was caused by an inoperative wheel-slip indicator.
“The cause of six of the eleven fatalities was the ejection of passengers through the large side windows which broke when the cars overturned. The other fatalities were caused by passengers being ejected from the end of the car, being struck by a cross tie, and being hurled around the inside of the car. A total of 163 passengers and employees were injured when impacted against injury-producing surfaces inside the cars.” (NTSB. Derailment of Amtrak Train No. 1 While Operating on the Illinois Central Railroad. Report adopted 8-30-1972.)
Newspaper
June 11: “Salem, Ill. (AP) A locked wheel that may have been caused by an electrical failure was blamed today for the flaming derailment Thursday [June 10] of the City of New Orleans passenger liner. Eleven persons died and 94 others were injured in the spectacular accident.
“The 14-car streamliner was being pulled by four locomotives at better than 90 miles an hour when it left the track two miles north of Salem. There were 224 persons aboard the train, including 18 crewmen.
“Jim Law, superintendent of the railroad’s Illinois division, said a rear wheel on the lead engine started sliding 1½ miles north of the accident scene but the train’s engineer never knew it. The derailment occurred, Law said, when the wheel — misshapen by the friction of sliding — struck a crossing mechanism which railroaders call ‘frog.’ ‘If there hadn’t been a crossover there, the defect might have been detected as the train rounded a bend further on,’ Law said. ‘We suspect it was an electrical malfunction in the traction works.’
“The crash was the first major accident under the new national Amtrak system, under which the Illinois Central operates.
“Investigators from the National Rail Safety Board, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Illinois Commerce Commission were probing the wreckage today.
“Alan S. Boyd, IC president, flew from Chicago and toured the wreckage for two hours. He said the crossover switch was not opened and said the track was ‘in first class condition.’
“The train departed Chicago at 8 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive in New Orleans at 1:30 a.m. today. The accident occurred about 12:20 p.m. near Tonti, a whistle stop 240 miles south of Chicago and 95 miles east of St. Louis.
“Witnesses said 1,200 feet of track were twisted and hurled by the crash. Ambulances and fire equipment sped from nearby communities to fight the killing flames and rescue victims mangled by the rails. ‘God, it was horrible,’ one survivor said. ‘I saw a woman pinned under the rails and she had to be cut free. She later died.’ Jim Hunter, 23, another resident, said, ‘The cars were scattered like spaghetti.’
“Passengers were slammed through the plate glass windows of the coaches. Rescue squads used acetylene torches to cut rails pinning victims. The injured were taken to hospitals in Salem, Centralia, Mount Vernon and St. Louis.
“The Salem High School was used as a refuge for survivors who tried to find their families or traveling companions. The armory was converted to a temporary morgue..
“Authorities withheld the names of three of the victims. Eight persons were identified:
Mrs. Clara Mckinney, 38, Philadelphia, Pa.’
Toledo D. Samuel, 50, a woman from Chicago;
Vida B. Walker, 54, Centralia;
Carroll R. Fletcher, 54, a conductor from Champaign;
Lynette Miller, 2, Chicago;
Mrs. Katheryn Adams, 35, Chicago;
her daughter, Gladys, 3,
and her niece, Natasha Adams, 12, Chicago.
“A small girl who died was tentatively identified but Coroner Edward Perry of Marion County declined to release the names until positive identification was made by relatives. Also unidentified was a woman, about age 60, and another body.” (AP. “Locked engine wheel blamed for derailment that killed 11.” Southern Illinoisan, Carbondale, 6-11-1971, p. 1.)
Sources
Adams, Charles J. III and David J. Seibold. Great Train Wrecks of Eastern Pennsylvania. Reading, PA: Exeter House Books, 1992.
Associated Press (Roy Malone). “Locked engine wheel blamed for derailment that killed 11.” Southern Illinoisan, Carbondale, 6-11-1971, p. 1. Accessed 9-10-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/southern-illinoisan-jun-11-1971-p-1/?tag=amtrak&rtserp=tags/amtrak?psi=37&pci=7&ndt=ex&pd=11&pm=6&py=1971&search=ymd/
National Transportation Safety Board. Derailment of Amtrak Train No. 1 While Operating on the Illinois Central Railroad. Report adopted 8-30-1972. Accessed 9-10-2017 at: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/RAR7205.aspx
National Transportation Safety Board. NTSB RAR [Railroad Accident Report]-72-05. Recommendations. Accessed 9-10-2017 at: https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-recs/recletters/R72_31_36.pdf