Rail Engines Plunge Off Mountain; 2 Die

Two engines from a Southern Pacific freight train hit a rockslide and plunged 500 feet off a mountainside Monday, killing two crew members, authorities said.

Two other crew members survived by jumping from one of the locomotives as it plunged down the mountain, an officer said. The lead locomotive landed in South Boulder Creek, and the second came to rest about halfway down the 45% grade, he said.

Some of the train’s lumber cargo spilled onto the mountainside leading down to the creek and caught fire when fuel from the two derailed engines ignited it.

The derailment shut down Amtrak’s main line through Colorado, causing passenger trains to detour through Wyoming. Amtrak also was ferrying customers in western Colorado and eastern Utah by bus.