Naperville train disaster
C.B.&Q. EMD E5 as used on the Exposition Flyer
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| Date | April 25, 1946 |
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| Location | Naperville, Illinois |
| Coordinates | 41°46′47″N 88°8′31″W / 41.77972°N 88.14194°WCoordinates: 41°46′47″N 88°8′31″W / 41.77972°N 88.14194°W |
| Country | United States |
| Rail line | Chicago IL-Aurora IL |
| Operator | Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad |
| Type of incident | Rear-end collision |
| Cause | Failure of second train to follow signals |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | Advance Flyer and Exposition Flyer |
| Deaths | 45 |
| Injuries | Approx. 125 |
The Naperville train disaster occurred April 25, 1946, on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad at Loomis Street in Naperville, Illinois, when the railroad's Exposition Flyer rammed into the Advance Flyer, which had made an unscheduled stop to check its running gear. The Exposition Flyer had been coming through on the same track at 80 miles per hour (130 km/h). 45 people died, and some 125 were injured.
The Advance Flyer and Exposition Flyer were diesel powered high-speed inter-city passenger trains; the Exposition Flyer would soon become the California Zephyr. Both were scheduled to leave Chicago's Union Station at 12:35 PM, the Advance Flyer would take a two-minute lead as they both sped west in two sections. The day of the wreck the Advance Flyer had 2 EMD E7 locomotives with 8 head end and 5 passenger cars. The Exposition Flyer had EMD E5A&B locomotives with 9 passenger cars, four of which were sleepers. This was a short train for the run; normally 12-16 cars were needed.
Naperville is a suburb in Illinois’ DuPage County 28 miles west of Union Station along the C.B.&Q.’s main line from Chicago to Aurora. This well-maintained three-track line, nicknamed “the Racetrack” by locals, had heavy traffic. The outside tracks typically had freight and local commuter trains running in one direction only, the center track, signaled in both directions, was used by intercity and express commuter passenger trains. The Flyers normally ran through Naperville on the center track at 80 miles per hour (130 km/h).
Just after 1:00 PM on April 25, 1946, a mechanical problem caused the Advance Flyer to stop at Loomis St. in Naperville, just beyond a gradual curve that trains came through at speed. A flagman had just started back up the tracks when the Exposition Flyer, led by a locomotive appropriately named "Silver Speed", came into view.
According to engineer W. W. Blaine of the Exposition Flyer, he immediately applied brakes upon seeing the first of two warning signals, but it was still too close to the first train to stop in time. The Exposition Flyer, slowing from 80 mph (130 km/h), was still traveling over 45 mph (72 km/h) when it struck the rear of the Advance Flyer.
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Wikipedia