by Tommy Meehan
Below is the lead to Don Phillips' recent TRAINS Magazine column about the Cascade wreck that was inadvertently cut from the column as published. It is available on certain websites. (I don't know which ones. I got it via a private group.) One significant fact: the locomotive engineer on the derailed train told investigators, "a series of mistakes" led him to believe his southbound train was still well north of the restricted speed curve. The other point of interest, the engineer is a railfan photographer and a very accomplished one. In fact he took photos of the Amtrak Cascade trains on the section that was slated to lose passenger service when the bypass opened.
The engineer told [NTSB investigators] of a series of mistakes that led him to believe he was north of the accident site. He said that as soon as he saw the 30-mph sign at the start of the curve, he realized where he was and applied brakes, but seconds later the train derailed.
One of the more fascinating facts is that the engineer had a side business doing commercial photography work. VIA Rail Canada hired him to take publicity photos, and he gave presentations to various groups of professionals and railfans. A source, who said he did not want to be named, said he had known the engineer for many years. “I figured after he got hired at the railroad his passion would simmer a bit because of being exposed to trains day in and day out as part of the job. With him it didn't seem to.”