Custer Creek train wreck
Encyclopedia
The Custer Creek train wreck (sometimes called the Saugus train wreck) is the worst rail disaster in Montana
history. It occurred on June 19, 1938 when a bridge, its foundations washed away by a flash flood, collapsed beneath Milwaukee Road's Olympian
as it crossed Custer Creek, near Saugus, Montana
, south-west of Terry
, killing at least 47 people.
and five reinforced concrete trestle slab spans carrying the single track across the creek resting on concrete piers. An inspection of the bridge earlier that year had concluded the bridge to be in good condition with sufficient rip-rap in place to prevent scouring
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deposited an estimated 4 to 7 inches of rain on the area drained by the creek. The previous train had crossed the bridge at 10:15 p.m. at which point the engineer estimated the water to be about three of four feet deep. Twenty minutes later, in view of the heavy rainfall experienced the section foreman performed an inspection of the track and estimated the depth of water to be six or seven feet beneath the level of the girders of the bridge (i.e. around six feet deep), giving no indication of the trouble to come.
No.220 and comprised eleven cars. It was traveling from Chicago
to Tacoma and carrying 155 passengers when it neared Custer Creek at a speed of 50 mph. There was no water on the track to warn the engineer that beneath was a torrent of water 30 feet high, battering at the bridge foundations, and no brake application was made.
, one body being recovered at Glendive
50 miles downstream. 75 people were injured. Newspapers reported the paradox that modern air-conditioned rolling stock requiring sealed windows, and the use of shatter-proof glass was partially responsible for some deaths
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
history. It occurred on June 19, 1938 when a bridge, its foundations washed away by a flash flood, collapsed beneath Milwaukee Road's Olympian
Olympian Hiawatha
The Olympian and its successor, Olympian Hiawatha, was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad as train Nos. 15 and 16 from 1911 to 1961...
as it crossed Custer Creek, near Saugus, Montana
Saugus, Montana
Saugus is a rural unincorporated community in Prairie County, Montana, United States, along the Yellowstone River. It was the location of the Custer Creek train wreck....
, south-west of Terry
Terry, Montana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 611 people, 294 households, and 171 families residing in the town. The population density was 866.2 people per square mile . There were 387 housing units at an average density of 548.7 per square mile...
, killing at least 47 people.
Bridge AA-438
The bridge, number AA-438 was 180 feet long and constructed 25 years earlier. It consisted of two 50-foot plate girder spansPlate girder bridge
A plate girder bridge is a bridge supported by two or more plate girders. The plate girders are typically I-beams made up from separate structural steel plates , which are welded or, in older bridges, bolted or riveted together to form the vertical web and horizontal flanges of the beam...
and five reinforced concrete trestle slab spans carrying the single track across the creek resting on concrete piers. An inspection of the bridge earlier that year had concluded the bridge to be in good condition with sufficient rip-rap in place to prevent scouring
Bridge scour
Bridge scour is the removal of sediment such as sand and rocks from around bridge abutments or piers. Scour, caused by swiftly moving water, can scoop out scour holes, compromising the integrity of a structure....
..
Custer Creek
Custer Creek itself normally runs dry for nine months of the year and had never been known to rise to a depth of more than five feet. But on the night in question a cloudburstCloudburst
A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation, sometimes with hail and thunder, which normally lasts no longer than a few minutes but is capable of creating flood conditions.-Etymology:There are similar names for such events in other languages...
deposited an estimated 4 to 7 inches of rain on the area drained by the creek. The previous train had crossed the bridge at 10:15 p.m. at which point the engineer estimated the water to be about three of four feet deep. Twenty minutes later, in view of the heavy rainfall experienced the section foreman performed an inspection of the track and estimated the depth of water to be six or seven feet beneath the level of the girders of the bridge (i.e. around six feet deep), giving no indication of the trouble to come.
Olympian
The westbound Olympian that night was hauled by Class S-2 4-8-44-8-4
Under the Whyte notation classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification: 2D2...
No.220 and comprised eleven cars. It was traveling from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to Tacoma and carrying 155 passengers when it neared Custer Creek at a speed of 50 mph. There was no water on the track to warn the engineer that beneath was a torrent of water 30 feet high, battering at the bridge foundations, and no brake application was made.
Wreck
As the Olympian crossed at 12:35 a.m. the bridge collapsed; the engine and seven passenger cars were thrown into the swollen creek On the west bank the locomotive and five cars were "piled in a shambles of crumpled steel"", killing the engineman and fireman. The wreck happened so quickly that when the body of the engineer was recovered he was still sitting in his seat with his hand on the throttle. "Two other cars ended up deep in the roaring creek". Rescue efforts were mounted by the train crew and uninjured passengers; smashing windows on the partly submerged cars to provide escape routes. Although the official death toll stands at 47, this is an estimate as several bodies were swept into the Yellowstone RiverYellowstone River
The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, the river and its tributaries drain a wide area stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Yellowstone National...
, one body being recovered at Glendive
Glendive, Montana
Glendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census.The town of Glendive is located in South Eastern Montana and is considered by many as an agricultural hub of Eastern Montana...
50 miles downstream. 75 people were injured. Newspapers reported the paradox that modern air-conditioned rolling stock requiring sealed windows, and the use of shatter-proof glass was partially responsible for some deaths