Jinxed Locomotives
Shane G Deemer
Who can forget Auto Train U36B 4004, nicknamed "Killer." The nickname grew
from it being involved in many grade crossing accidents.
Surrendering to tradition, 4004 was relegated to trailing unit status,
whereapon it was proptly broadsided by a truck.
4004's career ended being wrecked and burned.
-Shane
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Tom Greco
Hi!
Belief in the idea of "jinxed locomotives" was quite common in the
railroad industry give or take 100 years ago. Most railroads had
one or more of these "hoodoos" - engines that just couldn't seen to stay
out of trouble.
The Colorado Midland had a notorious hoodoo in its Engine 22, one of a
group of 4-6-0s built in 1887 by Schenectady Locomotive Works (later part
of ALCO). Photographs mostly from the 1890's show No.22 in a variety of
compromising positions - sitting atop a stock car in its own train and
hanging over the embankment where a burning trestle had lately been are
the two best known shots. The 22 was involved in rear-end and head-on
collisions, sideswipes and enginehouse fires, mostly during the 1890s.
After this it seemed to "mellow", and behaved fairly well for the rest of
its 30-year career.
By 1918, Engine 22 had been involved in accidents that claimed the lives
of 29 people. Some thought was given to changing No.22's number,
apparently an old railroad custom designed to remove the supposed "curse"
upon the locomotive's original number. If all this wasn't superstitious
enough, the Midland's officials vetoed the idea, feeling that No.22 would
probably blow up in protest!
I write and play railroad music, and do a marvelously witty tune called
"Midland Hoodoo 22" by my friend and fellow-Midland enthusiast Warren
Chambers from Wichita, Ks. You wouldn't think the deaths of 29 people
could be funny, but the song always gets its share of laughs.
Tom Greco
Trainmaster
Colorado Midland Ry.
Ken Gentzke, Jr
Shane G Deemer wrote:
>
> Who can forget Auto Train U36B 4004, nicknamed "Killer." The nickname grew
> from it being involved in many grade crossing accidents.
Who own 4004? If it's Auto Train, then what RR company it is?
I remember when I was 7 years old (21 years ago), we had road trip to Fla. On
the
way back, we camped at KOA campground in somewhere in whatever state (gotta be a
state between Fla and NY) I saw at least four or five trains in red scheme that
carry cars with passengers. I also remember it started with "Auto" but dont
know
what 2nd word was. Could this be the Auto Train - is it in red scheme?
I begged my parent to go on that train. We stopped at the terminal and asked
about it. the next train was at 4 am I think and we were long way from it. And
my dad decided against it. ( He has no patience at all) I was real
disappointed
about it.
Thanks for bringing my memory of 77' back!
Please forgive me for my last duplicated messages ( almost) I was supposed to
delete orginial message after I make the change in it but forget to do so.
Ken
Bill Miller
And then there's CP M640 #4744. Although only rolled over once, it has been
burnt to a crisp at least twice as well.
Bill Miller
"Highball Galt 4730 West"
Shane G Deemer
>Who own 4004? If it's Auto Train, then what RR company it is?
Coperation, started by Mr. Garfield in June 1971. It went bankrupt in 1981.
It was painted white with red/pink lettering and striping.
Bill Miller
How about SSW GP60 #9710 ?? It's been in two head-ons so far. It emerged
from the first rebuild in SP "Speed Lettering", and then got it again, and
was rebuilt again.
Cliff Downey
While looking through my slide collection this weekend, I ran across a
slide of GM&O 913. This particular engine meet an untimely end in 1984
after catching fire on Kentucky Dam, east of Paducah, KY. After sitting
in the backlot of the Paducah Shops for years and years, the unit was
finally scrapped earlier this year (still wearing GM&O red-and-white!).
I'm certain that some of you may have noticed that 9+1+3 equals 13,
everyone's favorite supersitious number.
If that wasn't enough, consider the fact that 913's builder number is
32161. Yep, that adds up to 13!
Go figure.
Cliff Downey
cdo...@mursuky.campus.mci.net
Christo26
In article <1996072405...@lightning.mgl.ca>, Bill Miller
<bmi...@mgl.ca> writes:
>How about SSW GP60 #9710 ?? It's been in two head-ons so far. It
emerged
>from the first rebuild in SP "Speed Lettering", and then got it again,
and
>was rebuilt again.
>
>
>
If I recall, SP 9710 was a trailing unit in the second accident in Texas.
It was the only unit not written off!
Christian
Robert.C.Lawrence
At 08:20 29/7/96 EDT, you wrote:
>In article <1996072405...@lightning.mgl.ca>, Bill Miller
><bmi...@mgl.ca> writes:
>
>>How about SSW GP60 #9710 ?? It's been in two head-ons so far. It
>emerged
>>from the first rebuild in SP "Speed Lettering", and then got it again,
>and
>>was rebuilt again.
>>
Don't know much about jinxed locomotives we did have a couple when I worked
for the Victorian Railways, X33 and S317, both GM's, the latter being a cab
unit (F9 with 6 wheel trucks). But we do have a jinxed locomotive "Engineer"
on my road now, poor guy has burnt loco,s had wheels collapes on passenger
cars, derailed numerous trains (non his fault), crews have even had
continuos ground relays, hot engines, crank case explosions, you name it,
just by talking to him over the radio. He is also known as lucky (Lucky if
nothing happens).
Regards,
Bob Lawrence
gw...@comcirc.com.au