Port Huron Sub Derailments
Posted by Chessie Dispatcher
on 12/31/2019, 7:21 pm
The post below regarding Yale brought to mind a couple of other significant derailments on the PH Sub during my time at Chessie. One involved someone tampering with the west switch to the pass at Clifford. The Sag-PH train couldn't stop before reaching the switch in reverse position and slammed into cars that were stored on the siding. Don't recall what all derailed -- the locomotives no doubt and I know there were tank cars that derailed and caught on fire. The other one was westbound SA37 plowing into a grain truck that failed to stop at the M-83 crossing in Gera. The locomotives slid on their sides and multiple cars piled up, some striking the office at the grain elevator and killing the manager sitting at his desk. I remember I got called into work that afternoon by the chief dispatcher to come in and perform his normal duties so he could concentrate on derailment issues. I don't recall the dates on these. I know it was while I was still on the extra board (5 years!) before I finally got a "permanent" position in December, 1980.
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