Montgomery, IL Train Wreck, Sept 1964

'Impossible' Wreck Investigated

Illinois Train Collision Kills 4 And Injures 43

CHICAGO (UPI) – Investigators Monday sought the cause of an “impossible” train wreck in which the Burlington Railroad's speeding Kansas City Zephyr plowed head-on into the Rock Island Line's standing Golden State Limited, killing four and injuring 43 persons.

Three crew members were killed instantly when the Zephyr, rolling at nearly 60 miles an hour, slammed into the Rock Island passenger train late Sunday night on the Burlington line near Montgomery, Ill., about 40 miles southwest of Chicago. A fourth crew member died later in a hospital. Three hospitals treated at least 43 persons. Seven of the injured were admitted. More than 400 passengers were aboard the two trains.

Investigators said they had not determined the cause of the collision. One Burlington spokesman called it a “freak.”

“This accident was technically impossible,” the spokesman said. “It couldn't have happened but it did.”

The Rock Island train, eastbound from Los Angeles was using Burlington tracks because a bridge was out on its line. The train, a combination of the Golden State and Corn Belt limited, halted at a warning signal shortly before the westbound Burlington train – a combination of the Kansas City Zephyr and Omaha bound Ak-Sar-Ben special roared out of the darkness.

The Times Recorder Zanesville, Ohio 1964-09-29
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!