One of Many Stories in the Life of a Railroader and His Family

Amtrak derailment, Joshua, Texas, June 1976

Amber and I have been looking through and sorting old photos, clippings and various memorabilia again and came across this old picture. It's not a very clear photo but it instantly brought memories bouncing around the room as Amber and I reminisced.

It was June of 1976 and Amber and I had only been married for four months. It was a Sunday and, as with most Sundays, we were at Amber's mother and dad's house having lunch in Cleburne, Texas. I was a young foreman and relief track supervisor with the Santa Fe Railroad and had brought my pickup because I had plans to leave from there and travel to Silsbee, Texas to relieve on a track supervisors position for a few weeks.

After finishing lunch, my father in law, Bud McPherson, a long time conductor with the Santa Fe, put on his conductors uniform and prepared to go to work on the northbound Amtrak passenger train leaving Cleburne that afternoon. I told him I was getting ready to leave town and if he wanted I could drop him off at the depot and he wouldn't have to leave his truck sitting there.

He agreed and we were off to the depot. I stood around the depot talking to Bud and several other railroaders I knew and then watched Bud get on the train. After the train departed, I stood there talking to the agent for a few more minutes when on the radio came an emergency broadcast. The passenger train had struck a semi truck loaded with rebar in Joshua, Texas (just a few miles north of Cleburne) and had derailed the locomotives and all but one of the passenger cars. I called Amber and told her about the incident and told her I was leaving and heading that way and I would let her and the family know something as soon as I could.

I arrived at the scene within minutes and one of the first things I saw was Bud walking from car to car helping passengers evacuate. I put on my boots and hardhat and joined him, helping all that I could. Bud made me proud the way he had taken control and kept everything as organized as possible until more help arrived. He was a
railroader's railroader.

Within just a few more minutes, Amber and her family drove up to the derailment site. Bud walked over to the cars, told everyone he was okay, to everyone's relief, and went back to work.

Because I was the first of my department at the scene, I began to evaluate the damage and list all the materials that would be needed along with estimates as how long it would take to get the track back in service and communicated all this info via the radio to the Chief Dispatcher. Within an hour, the railroad workforce, supervision and other trained personnel began to arrive and as soon as I filled the supervision who would be in control in on all my information, I asked if I could be released to begin my four hour trip to Silsbee, Texas to be available for my relief job at 6 A M the next morning.

Yep, just one of many stories in the life of a railroader and his family.