Heading south from Minturn, Engineer Milt Blount and his crew were clearing a snow slide at Belden Station when the locomotive they were driving hit a loosened rail and turned over into the Eagle River. Milt suffered serious injuries of scalding from the firebox and shock from his arm being pinned under the engine; his crewmates suffered head trauma, scalding, and steam inhalation from the boiler. This image is from the Bob Pierce Collection.

Heading south from Minturn, Engineer Milt Blount and his crew were clearing a snow slide at Belden Station when the locomotive they were driving hit a loosened rail and turned over into the Eagle River. Milt suffered serious injuries of scalding from the firebox and shock from his arm being pinned under the engine; his crewmates suffered head trauma, scalding, and steam inhalation from the boiler. This image is from the Bob Pierce Collection.

A photograph of a work train with two cars overturned, an accident that happened near Camp Hale, Pando, Colorado. This image is from the Bob Pierce Collection.

Heading south from Minturn, Engineer Milt Blount and his crew were clearing a snow slide at Belden Station when the locomotive they were driving hit a loosened rail and turned over into the Eagle River. Milt suffered serious injuries of scalding from the firebox and shock from his arm being pinned under the engine; his crewmates suffered head trauma, scalding, and steam inhalation from the boiler. This image is from the Bob Pierce Collection.

This wreck occurred west of Glenwood Springs with no injuries. A wrecking derrick was called in from Grand Junction to remove the wrecked cars off the line so rail travel could resume. Derricks were specially designed cranes mounted onto cars and at that time had around a 100-ton capacity. Logistically, bringing in a derrick was a considerable undertaking. It could take days for a wreck to be cleared and repairs to the rails would sometimes be necessary. This...

This wreck occurred west of Glenwood Springs with no injuries. A wrecking derrick was called in from Grand Junction to remove the wrecked cars off the line so rail travel could resume. Derricks were specially designed cranes mounted onto cars and at that time had around a 100-ton capacity. Logistically, bringing in a derrick was a considerable undertaking. It could take days for a wreck to be cleared and repairs to the rails would sometimes be necessary. This...