sleeping berths, was telescoped practically its entire length by the engine of Second 1, and was demolished. The engine of Second 1 was derailed but remained upright and in line with the track, and was covered by the top and side sheets of the rear car of First 1". Only two of the 35 people in the rear car escaped alive; the rest were either killed in the initial impact or by the steam escaping from the engine below. A serviceman who saw the approaching train managed to jump out of a window; the only other survivor was a woman but she survived only 15 minutes after being freed after spending six hours trapped in the wreckage. The accident happened at 7.22 p.m. People from nearby Michigan were soon on the scene to help with ladders and welding equipment to cut through the steel. As dark came car headlights were used to light the gruesome scene. Investigation In the absence of an automatic blocking system the 20 minute interval between passenger trains was enforced by operators at open stations. Unfortunately between Grand Forks and Surrey, a distance of 200 miles, only four stations were open when the Empire Builder passed. When the two sections left the last open station 31 minutes apart, the two previous stops had taken 25 minutes, nullifying the 20-minute spacing interval. The investigation recommended that the Automatic Block Signal system be extended across the whole of the route. It found that "this accident was caused by failure to provide adequate protection for the preceding train". A coroner's jury found the flagman and conductor of the lead train to be responsible for the accident and they were dismissed from service. The locomotive of the first section, No. 2584, has been preserved and is on display at the Havre, Montana station. Lloyd Burdick, a former National Football League player was killed in the wreck. References Reference Data Sheet No. 152, Great Northern Railway Historical Society External links Michigan, ND Rear End Railroad Collision, Aug 1945 Michigan 1945 Train Wreck Railway accidents in 1945 Transportation disasters in North Dakota Accidents and incidents involving Great Northern Railway (U.S.) Nelson County, North Dakota Rail transportation in North Dakota 1945 in North Dakota August 1945 events in the United States