(The following article by Jason Bergreen was posted on the Salt Lake Tribune website on May 12.)
SALT LAKE CITY — Replicas of the locomotives depicted on Utah’s commemorative state quarter “don’t stop on a dime,” said a National Park Service superintendent one day after a miscommunication caused the two engines at Promontory Summit to crash.
“It appears there were crossed signals between the two conductors,” said Margaret A. Johnston, superintendent of the Golden Spike National Historic Site. “They communicate through the whistle.”
The crash occurred about 5 p.m. Wednesday as the Jupiter and 119 were being returned to the engine house, several hours after they were used to commemorate the 117th anniversary of the Golden Spike celebration and an announcement by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. that the trains would be depicted on Utah’s commemorative quarter, due out next year.
The locomotives are replicas of the two engines that met up when the transcontinental railroad was completed on May 10, 1869.
Johnston said engineers Ron Wilson and Richard Carroll were driving the trains. The 119 was backing up and had stopped momentarily, Johnston said. The Jupiter, which was moving forward on the same track, was not able to stop in time and the pilot or “cow catcher” – the metal frame on the front of a locomotive to remove obstructions – on each train collided.
“They were not aware it had stopped,” Johnston said.
Both engines were traveling under 5 mph when they crashed. Johnston said she was not sure what each of the whistle commands meant, but said they consisted of multiple short and long tones. Carroll and Johnston have been conductors on the locomotives for several years.
Nobody was injured in the incident and the locomotives did not derail. Witness Brian Roberts said the collision caused steam to bellow from the trains for more than 10 minutes.
The 119 sustained cracks to its wood and iron pilot, but was driven off the tracks shortly after the crash. The pilot on the Jupiter was more severely damaged and had to be disassembled.
“The whole pilot needs to be rebuilt,” Johnston said.
The Jupiter could not be returned to the engine house until about 9 p.m. Wednesday. It did, however, get there under its own steam, Johnston said. Engineers also said it sounded fine.
On Thursday, engineers and maintenance crews were trying to determine the extent of the damage.
“They’re still crawling around underneath,” Johnston said.
The engines, which were acquired in the mid-1990s for about $1.2 million, were expected to be back in service as early as Monday, Johnston said, though they probably will operate without their pilots. The engines run twice a day and are then on display outside the visitor’s center.
The official cause of the crash has not been determined. A damage estimate has also not yet been determined. The National Park Service is conducting the investigation.