1925 Helenwood train derailment
On March 3, 1925, a passenger train derailed at Helenwood, killing two people. The derailment was a low-speed wreck that occurred as the train was being moved to a side rail just north of the Helenwood station.
Precursor to the accident
Freight train No. 82 — consisting of 22 cars and a caboose, hauled by Engine #6268 — departed Oakdale at 8:40 p.m. on March 2, 1925. It arrived at Helenwood at 10:30 p.m., at which point the engine became disabled.
The disabled engine and train came to a stop on the northbound main track, necessitating a move of the cars to a storage track so that they were not in the way of other northbound rail traffic.
Freight train extra #6262 arrived at Helenwood shortly after Engine #6268 became disabled, and was used to clear the side track so that an approaching passenger train — No. 6 — could pass. It consisted of one mail car, a combination car, one coach, and nine Pullman sleeping cars, hauled by Engine #6495. It had departed from Oakdale at 11:32 p.m. and passed New River at 12:39 a.m., running about 10 minutes late.
Train No. 6 was diverted from the northbound track onto the passing track and then to the storage track at 1:10 a.m.
The accident
As Train No. 6 was being moved onto the storage track at 1:10 a.m. on March 3, 1925, it derailed at the north end of the storage track, while moving at a speed of about 10 mph. The engine came to rest on its right side, traveling 125 feet after leaving the rails. The tender and mail car also derailed. Both the engineman and fireman were killed.
The investigation
A flagman from Train No. 82, identified as “Clarkson,” was instructed by Conductor Nitzschke from Train No. 82 to open the north switch and derailer on the storage track for Train No. 6. Clarkson told investigators that the lock to the derailer was missing, and that his first attempt to operate it failed, but he was able to succeed by taking hold of the operating level with both hands and moving it from the rail. He said he flashed his light on it to be sure it was in the proper position, then waited 15 minutes until Train No. 6 arrived. The engineman called for a signal and was given a proceed signal, then moved forward until it reached the derailer, at which point the engine left the rails and overturned.
A brakeman on Train No. 82, identified as “Jones,” said he inspected the derailer after the accident and it appeared to have been torn out and moved toward the center of the track, two feet from its normal location, and bore wheel marks. The operating level lay pointing toward the track in the open position, he said. Because of the location of the combination car, the derailer could not have been moved from the rails after the cars came to rest, he said. His findings were confirmed by a conductor from Extra No. 6262.
Investigators determined that the accident was caused by the train’s engine running over a derailer that was in a closed position — and that Clarkson had not opened it, as he testified that he did, or that it was restored to the closed position by persons unknown after Clarkson opened it.
The train accident was the second of four fatal train wrecks in Scott County between 1915 and 1931. The others occurred in 1915, 1929, and 1931.