MICHIGAN, N.D. (trfnews.i234.me) – On the evening of August 9, 1945, North Dakota experienced its deadliest rail disaster when two sections of the Great Northern Empire Builder collided near the small town of Michigan.
At 7:20 p.m., the first section of the westbound Empire Builder made an emergency stop due to a “hot box” – a failing wheel bearing that overheated. Just minutes later, the second section, carrying hundreds of passengers, crashed into the rear of the first train.
The Collision
The first section, which left Fargo at 3:25 p.m., carried 237 passengers, most in Pullman sleeper cars. The second section, departing about 10 minutes later, carried 600 to 700 passengers, many of them World War II military personnel returning home.
Witness Annette Desautels, who had just left her job at the Red Owl store in Michigan, saw a railroad worker frantically waving a red flag to warn the oncoming train. “There was no time,” she later recalled.
The second engine slammed into the Pullman sleeper car Peoria. The car was split in two, and steam from the locomotive scalded those inside. Of the 35 people aboard the car, 34 were killed instantly or succumbed shortly after. Only one person initially survived, Mrs. George Bannan, 45, of Velva. Trapped for hours as rescuers worked to cut her free, she died en route to the hospital.
Rescue Efforts
Michigan, then a town of about 500 residents, mobilized immediately. Welders brought cutting torches, townspeople lined up cars to shine headlights onto the wreck, and families provided food and typewriters for reporters rushing to the scene.
Military passengers assisted with rescue work and cared for the injured. A young porter from St. Paul was remembered for holding Mrs. Bannan’s head as a priest performed last rites before she was freed.
Investigation
The Great Northern investigation determined the first train’s crew failed to adequately protect their stalled train. Though warnings had been placed earlier near Petersburg, the second train’s engineer resumed normal speed. Despite hitting emergency brakes, the train was still traveling 30 mph when it struck the lead train.
Amazingly, the engine crew survived.
Legacy
In total, 34 people died and more than 300 were injured in what remains both North Dakota’s worst train disaster and the deadliest accident in Great Northern Railway’s history.
A memorial now stands in Michigan, North Dakota, honoring the victims and the community members who risked their lives in the rescue efforts.
For more information on the history of the Empire Builder, visit the Great Northern Railway Historical Society.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
