LOGANSPORT, Ind. — The cab of Monon’s first diesel, operational SW1 No. 50, was sheared off in a trucking accident Thursday night less than two miles from where the 76-year-old unit was to be offloaded at the relocated Indiana Transportation Museum.
The truck moving the privately-owned unit from Noblesville, Ind., to the museum’s new home in Logansport struck the Norfolk Southern overpass of 3rd Street in Logansport.
The end-cab switcher was the only unit not seized last summer when the city of Noblesville evicted the museum from its long-time home. Many pieces were sold to other organizations, and a few were scrapped as the museum scrambled to clear the property. The last pieces moved out with minutes to spare before the deadline.
The Monon unit was to have been power for the new incarnation of the museum in Logansport.
Trains News Wire is working to learn more about the accident and the museum’s relocation.
@Russell Hoyle the city of noblesville denied them the option of moving by rail, and they had no connections to any other rail lines, so that isn’t possible. I live near here, and have ridden a few times on IRM trains before, and I can say that NO ONE in either Fishers, IN, or Noblesville, IN (apart from the money-grubbing assholes who kicked the IRM out), is happy about this.
Can’t fix stupid.
Any ‘new’ news on this, TRAINS Mag folks? If the IRM tried to do this on the sly with the claim of a ‘time crunch’, I think this loco will be tied up in litigation for many years to come…… Given how the past administration’s attitude on their lawsuit against the City of Noblesville bordered on delusional, I hope they have some competent legal counsel this time—they’re gonna need it….
Next time ship by rail.
Hey Boss, we’ve got a little problem……
The clearance, if i have the correct overpass on Google Earth, was 14’5″, and was clearly marked in advance and at the bridge.
A little angle iron, some sheet metal and a little bondo(TM) and it’ll be like new….. But seriously, folks, WTH was going on? Don’t these moves require a pilot car to help with clearance checks?? IDT any reputable heavy hauler would even load up w/o all the necessary permits and double-checked checklists…..
The picture is hard to look at. The ole girl made it 76 years in a tough railroad environment and gets her head knocked off going to her last retirement home. Hope the can make repairs.
Nice work!!! Was it this person’s first day driving a rig?? Hope the trucking company is well insured, Negligence per se as the say in the legal bidness……
As a truck driver myself, and avid railroad rail fan and railroad investor, I must say that this is an embarrassment!! How hard is it for someone to check both their route(s) and the bloody bridge clearance signs? This driver (and company) should be ashamed for the carnage done to the locomotive. This is the B.S. that gives truckers a very bad name, and is just a disgrace to rail fans to see a classic locomotive damaged in this manner.
Sadly ironic that it was a RR underpass that it hit.
I live a couple miles from a NS (ex-D&H) overpass of a state highway. “Approach” and “Home” signs are on both sides of the overpass, with the clearance stated in feet and inches. Haven’t seen anyone hit the bridge yet, but once a month or so an eighteen-wheeler is inches away from a hit, trying to back up in traffic in order to turn around. What is so hard about this?
The bridge always wins…hopefully the cab can be readily replaced. Presumably no one was injured in this accident?
Maybe Western Rail has a cab replacement…
I believe the EMD used the same switcher cab on the SW-1, NW-2, SW-7s etc. They should be able to come up with a replacement from one of the re-builders like Larry’s Truck & Electric. Now hopefully the trucker had insurance.