UtahRailfan5450

Ever since its formation on May 1st, 1971, Amtrak has been operating much of the nation's passenger trains across the contiguous United States. This was in part due to governmental regulations imposed onto railroads as well as competition with interstate highways and jet airliners. Unfortunately, a little over a month after taking over most passenger rail services, Amtrak would face its first ever fatal accident.

On June 10th, 1971, Amtrak train No. 1 (now No. 59), the southbound City of New Orleans, stands at Chicago's Central Station awaiting departure. Prior to Amtrak's formation, the train was originally operated as a daytime service by the Illinois Central Railroad. All of the equipment being used on the train, from the locomotives to the passenger cars, are still painted in their original Illinois Central liveries.

The locomotives pulling the train are E8A No. 4031, E9B No. 4109, E9B No. 4106, and E10A No. 2024 (Ex-E8A No. 4032), models belonging to EMD's E-Unit series. Unlike most diesel locomotives that normally have one prime mover, E-Units have two prime movers which can have an output rating that ranges from 1,800 HP to 2,400 HP, this depends on the model though. But in the case of the E8 and E9 units, the E8 outputs 2,250 HP while the E9 outputs 2,400 HP. Behind the locomotives are a baggage car, eleven coach cars, a diner-counter car, a lounge car, and combination coach/food service car making up the consist. At 8:00 AM Central Time, the train departs beginning its southbound journey to New Orleans, Louisiana.

The journey however was anything but a smooth ride as the second prime mover on No. 4031 began to malfunction and was unable to be fixed. But following a crew change in Champaign, Illinois, the new crew noticed that the second prime mover had responded to the throttle and believed that it was operational again. Continuing down the ICRR mainline, the train began to approach a crossover south of Champaign and when it started to pass over the crossover, the unthinkable happened.

At 12:30 PM Central Time, the train derails as No. 4031 falls onto its right side and slides 1,031 feet away from where it derailed while No. 4109 caught fire. No. 4106 and No. 2024 remained upright with little damage while the baggage car and first few coaches were destroyed with the remaining cars recieving various levels of damage. Eleven people were killed and 163 were injured as the result of this derailment, six of these fatalities happened when passengers were ejected through large side windows like military pilots escaping from a crashing fighter jet with ejection seats.

During the investigation, the NTSB discovered flat spots on No. 4031's rear truck alongside markings on the tracks between between Tonti and Effingham, Illinois. This further showed that truck's traction motor had seized prior to the derailment and that the wheels had likely locked while at Effingham Station. The locked wheels created a false flange and when the damaged wheel reached the switch at the Tonti crossover, it came off the rail triggering the accident.

Four days prior on June 6th, No. 4031 was running between Chicago and New Orleans when its second prime mover also had problems and had to be shut down in New Orleans while having its reverser locked in neutral for the trip to Chicago. But shutting down the prime mover and locking the reverser in neutral would in turn disable the wheel slip indicator, a device that notifies the engineer that a wheel is slipping or sliding. While No. 4031 was repaired in Chicago, Illinois Central maintenance employees were unaware that the reverser was locked and had no idea that power was not being supplied to the rear truck.

After investigating, the NTSB concluded that mechanical faults in No. 4031 caused the derailment and recommended railroads to improve wheel-slip detection devices for locomotives and for pre-departure testing procedures. They also recommended that the FRA should create safety standards to address the ejection of passengers through windows in the event of accidents. While No. 4031 and 4109 were scrapped due to being severely damaged, No. 4106 and No. 2024 were repaired and returned to service. But they too have been scrapped after being retired in favor of newer locomotives, namely SDP40Fs, P30CHs, and F40PHs. As for the City of New Orleans, the train still runs under Amtrak but is now an overnight service.

More recently in 2025, University of Missouri journalist student Henderick Morton began a goal of identifying the only unidentified decedent of the wreck. When digging up this person's grave, it was revealed through x-ray scans that there were at least two, maybe even three, unidentified victims inside the grave, one of them appeared to be a child. The DNA Doe Project has joined in on this investigation which is still going on as of today. Sadly, this wasn't the last of Amtrak's accidents as many more would occur in the following years since then. But valuable life lessons have been learned from then on.

Models and Route by: Trainz Forge, Auran, and Download Station

Information Sources Cited in Chicago Style:

“Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition.” Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University, owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manual_17th_edition/cmos_formatting_and_style_guide/chicago_manual_of_style_17th_edition.html. Accessed 8 May 2026.

“EMD ‘E’ Units (Locomotives).” 2024. American-Rails.com. 2024. https://www.american-rails.com/6686.html.

‌NTSB final report: Pilot error caused crash that killed Nashville family nearly two years ago | local news | thesouthern.com. Accessed May 19, 2026. https://thesouthern.com/news/local/ntsb-final-report-pilot-error-caused-crash-that-killed-nashville-family-nearly-two-years-ago/article_7aa14b54-8bbd-5423-b4b6-d4b1ef210db3.html.

Holden Kurwicki. 2025. “Mystery Deepens: Multiple Remains Found inside Grave Tied to 1971 Train Crash.” Ksdk.com. KSDK. June 18, 2025. https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/illinois/mystery-deepens-multiple-remains-found-inside-grave-1971-crash/63-7b79c927-9bdd-4808-9536-c2d8fc4de3c0.

When I watched CraftyFoxeMC's tutorial on the Amtrak P32-8BWH, that inspired me to try and build the locomotive in the "Pepsi Can" livery. It was a little difficult to try and figure out how to build the livery and apply it to the locomotive, but I managed to get that covered. On a side note, it's been a while since I built an Amtrak locomotive on Minecraft, that being the Phase III EMD F40PH from December 2025.

"Evening Journey"

New Haven EP-5 "Jet" No. 372 leads train No. 26, the Eastbound Merchants Limited, through Queens, New York and onward to Boston, Massachusetts on a mild summer evening. While the New Haven Railroad no longer exists, passenger train service still runs between New York City and Boston as the Northeast Regional and the high-speed Acela, both services are owned and operated by Amtrak. As for No. 372, the locomotive would continue to serve the New Haven and then under Penn Central before it was ultimately retired and scrapped along with the other EP-5s. Not a single one of the EP-5s were preserved sadly.

I figured that now is the best time to get into doing Santa Fe drawings. On top of that, this is also my first attempt at a drawing of one of my favorite diesels, the ALCO PA.

Reference Image: https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ef5133fe97a1d249ac3fe6b/1593539889738-XTPKNHN9PN6KF7JAKZTL/ALCO_PA_59L_in_Service_May_15_1966_San_Diego_CROP.jpg

"Ore-Haulin' Leviathan"

Duluth Missabe and Iron Range M-3 "Yellowstone" No. 227 thunders through Minnesota with a heavy iron ore train bound for the docks at Two Harbors where a ship will transport the ore to the Gary Works in Gary, Indiana. After being retired in 1963 following the conclusion of steam operations on the Missabe Road, the locomotive was put on display at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in 1967 where it has remained ever since.

One of the most infamous types of railroad incidents are runaway trains, these incidents happen when unattended locomotives and/or rolling stock are accidentally allowed to roll down a rail line uncontrollably. Whether it's real life incidents such as the three Cajon Pass Runaways that took place from 1989 to 1996 or in works of fiction like in Thomas The Tank Engine and the 1985 film "Runaway Train", these incidents are a mix of fear and chaos combined into steel and metal. And one of the most well known runaway train incidents to take place in the United States is the CSX 8888 Incident, better known by some as the "Crazy Eights Incident".

On May 15th, 2001, an engineer is using a locomotive to switch 47 freight cars from track K12 to track D10 to be put onto an outbound train at CSX's Stanley Yard in Walbridge, Ohio, a town located seven miles south of Toledo. The locomotive in question is No. 8888, an EMD SD40-2 built originally for Conrail as No. 6410 in September 1977. Out of all the 47 cars No. 8888 is switching, 25 are empty while 22 are loaded.

Among the loaded cars are two tank cars carrying molten phenol, a toxic ingredient used in the production of many things such as plastics, epoxies, nylon, various pharmaceutical drugs, detergents, and paints. If it makes direct skin or eye contact, It can result in severe chemical burns and is very dangerous when ingested. Noticing a misaligned switch, the engineer fully applied the locomotive's air brake and partially the automatic brake before climbing off believing that there wasn't enough time for the train to fully stop due to the rain-dampened rails, not to mention that the airbrakes between the locomotive and cars were disconnected since this was a yard maneuver. He then seemingly applied the dynamic brake oblivious to the fact that he actually set the throttle to full power by mistake.

Initially unaware of his error, the engineer ran ahead to realign the switch just seconds before the locomotive entered the switch. While attempting to get back onboard No. 8888, the engineer was dragged by the accelerating train for a distance of 80 feet before letting go. As a result of this, he received minor cuts and scrapes.

At 12:35 PM, the train becomes a runaway as it begins its southbound journey down the Toledo Branch Subdivision without a crew in control while flying at 53 miles per hour. Plan A to stop the train came in the form of using portable derailers, these attempts have backfired as derailers were thrown from the tracks by the force of the train. Now onto Plan B, shoot at the red fuel cutoff button. Police officers shot at the cutoff button to shut down the locomotive by starving its prime mover of fuel. This didn't work out either as three shots mistakenly hit the larger red fuel cap, not to mention that on all SD40-2s built under Conrail specs, like No. 8888, the buttons must be pressed for several seconds until the switch activates.

And now for Plan C, stop the train using one locomotive or multiple locomotives. CSX Q636-15, a northbound manifest being pulled by SD40-2 No. 8392 (EX-Chesapeake & Ohio SD40 No. 7533), had been diverted onto a siding to allow the runaway train to pass. Afterwards, engineer Jess Knowlton and conductor Terry L. Forson decoupled the locomotive to chase the runaway. An additional locomotive, EMD GP40-2 No. 6008 (EX-Baltimore & Ohio 4108) was located further down the line to couple up to the front of No. 8888 if necessary. Once they've coupled up to the last car, Knowlton and Forson applied No. 8392's dynamic brakes slowing the train to 12 miles per hour allowing CSX trainmaster Jon Hosfeld to get onboard No. 8888 and shut down the locomotive.

After a 66 mile journey, the train comes to a complete stop at the Ohio State Route 31 crossing located southeast of Kenton, Ohio, preventing an even worse disaster from unfolding. Immediately afterwards, an inspection launched by the FRA on No. 8888 showed that, apart from burnt brake shoes from the runaway trip, the locomotive had no defects. CSX never publicized the name of the engineer whose error lead to this incident nor what accountability he faced, but let's just say that lessons have been learned. Knowlton, Forson, and Hosfeld on the other hand have been praised as heroes for their actions, it was these events that would go on to inspire the 2010 20th Century Fox film "Unstoppable".

No. 8888 would continue to serve CSX while several railroad museums offered to preserve the locomotive. CSX wasn't interested and by 2015, the locomotive was rebuilt into an SD40-3 with a more squared-off cab, repainted into the YN3 "Dark Future" livery, and renumbered to 4389, it is still in service with CSX as of April 2026. No. 8392 was retired sometime in the late 2000s and sold to NREX while No. 6008 is likely still in service as of October 2019. Overall, we are grateful for the heroic actions made by Knowlton, Forson, and Hosfeld as we would've otherwise been telling an entirely different story.

Models and Route by: Jointed Rail, Auran, and Download Station

Information Sources Cited in Chicago Style:

Kohlin, Ron. 2024. “CSX 8888 - the Final Report.” Archive.org. 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20230226173714/http://kohlin.com/CSX8888/z-final-report.htm.

“Blocked Page.” 2026. Archive.org. 2026. https://web.archive.org/web/20151101010442/http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Stations/CountyStations/WoodOHStations/StanleyYardOH.htm#.‌

“CNN.com - Runaway Train Stopped after Uncontrolled 2 Hours - May 15, 2001.” 2024. Archive.org. 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20060211030432/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/05/15/runaway.train.05/.‌

“Hollywood Widens Truth Gauge in Runaway Train Flick.” 2010. The Blade. November 11, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20230520220514/https://www.toledoblade.com/Movies/2010/11/12/Hollywood-widens-truth-gauge-in-runaway-train-flick.html.

“Canadian Railway Observations : South of the Border.” 2016. Archive.org. 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20230730160215/https://canadianrailwayobservations.com/RESTRICTED/2016/June2016/south.htm.

“CSX 8888-‘Crazy Eights.’” 2017. WVNC Rails. 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20230530144620/https://www.wvncrails.org/csx-8888-crazy-eights.html.

“CSX #8888: The Real Story of ‘Unstoppable’ — Rare Mileage.” 2010. Archive.org. November 12, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20190622220237/https://www.rare-mileage.com/blog/2010/real-story-of-unstoppable/.

Kohlin, Ron. 2026. “CSX 8888 - Play - by - Play on the Internet.” Kohlin.com. 2026. https://kohlin.com/CSX8888/x-play-by-play.htm.‌

Train Movies - Unstoppable, www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?threads%2Ftrain-movies-unstoppable.123420%2F=. Accessed 9 May 2026.

“Pennsylvania Man Lived the Drama That Inspired ‘Unstoppable.’” 2026. Philly.com. 2026.https://web.archive.org/web/20130616155521/http://articles.philly.com/2010-11-12/news/24955089_1_rail-crossings-rail-yard-runaway-train.‌

“The Blade.” 2017. The Blade. 2017. https://www.toledoblade.com/frontpage/2001/05/16/Coach-s-ways-are-familiar-to-Toledoans.html.‌

Here's my take on a drawing of Southern Pacific GS-4 No. 4449 as well as my first Southern Pacific drawing in a while.

Reference Image: https://www.american-rails.com/images/o2983423765735678243698347904580.jpg

"Highballing Hiawatha"

Milwaukee Road Class F7 No. 100 races through Northwestern Illinois with train No. 5, the northbound Morning Hiawatha, towards the Twin Cities (Minneapolis-St. Paul) and other stops along the way.

On May 1st, 1971, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, better known by most as Amtrak, was established by Congress to save the dying passenger trains which have been struggling with low ridership levels in the post-WWII years due to governmental regulations as well as competition with interstate highways and jet airliners. Upon taking over much of the privately-owned passenger services once operated by 20 different railroads (with a few more railroads joining in later years) from day one, Amtrak started their operations with otherwise old and beat up equipment inherited from those railroads (I.E. passenger rolling stock from the 30s-50s, E and F Units, GG1s, ETC.). However, not all railroads joined in to have their passenger trains be handed over to Amtrak, for they have either discontinued all of their services prior, passed them down to governmental entities, or are/were services not considered relevant to Amtrak. Not to mention Amtrak had operated 184 of 336 passenger routes following it's formation.

Yet, Amtrak continued to persist in keeping U.S. intercity passenger rail operations alive as they ordered new equipment to replace their aging equipment as well as problematic equipment with time continuing onward into the 21st century and as ridership levels increased. Today, Amtrak continues to keep intercity and long-distance passenger trains running across the U.S. connecting large metropolitan cities and small rural towns together for people, and even railfans, as an alternative to flying and driving across the country.

Getting back into Virginian Railway drawings, here is EL-C No. 135 in it's original VGN livery. On a side note, I have actually seen this when I went to Virginia with my family back in 2022 so here's also a picture if you'd like to see it.

Reference Image: https://i.pinimg.com/736x/6f/71/b1/6f71b145fa97bd5037fedfd510288fd7.jpg

"Appalachian Autumn"

It's a cool and crisp Autumn evening in Prince, West Virginia as Chesapeake & Ohio H8 "Allegheny" No. 1601 drags a heavily loaded 140-car coal train past the station while No. 1600 shoves the train from behind. Following the end of steam operations on the C&O in 1956, the 1601 would be donated to The Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan, where it has been on display since.

It's been a while since I drew an E Unit and I've been wanting to draw one now. So here's my artwork of an E8 in an Illinois Central scheme.

Reference Image: https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTA0NVgxNjAw/z/Cx0AAeSwQYRo3e3u/$_57.JPG?set_id=880000500F

"Night of the Twisters"

Santa Fe C44-9Ws No. 678, 634, and 683 lead P-LACW1-30, an eastbound TOFC train, across eastern Kansas on a stormy night in early May. In the background and illuminated by a flash of lightning, a massive wedge tornado and two satellite tornadoes ravage the surrounding countryside destroying anything within the storm's path.