Cardinal Passengers Ride Bus After Train-Truck Crash

Passengers aboard Amtrak’s westbound Cardinal on Monday finished their journey by bus after the train’s route was blocked in Lafayette, Indiana, by a grade crossing collision.

Lafayette police said a semi struck a southbound 133-car CSX train at the Wabash Avenue crossing before 5:30 a.m.

The crossing remained closed for 13 and a half hours as workers cleaned up spilled grain and diesel fuel.

The driver of the truck suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene. Police said they do not believe that drugs or alcohol were a contributing factor to the collision.

The driver told police he was unable to stop his truck in time to avoid the collision. He was headed northbound on Wabash Avenue at the time.

Amtrak Train No. 51 was terminated at the station in Crawfordsville, Indiana, located 27 miles south of Lafayette.

Passengers were loaded aboard four buses with three operating non-stop to Chicago and one bus making all local stops.

No. 51 was running 26 minutes late when it reached Crawfordsville. The Cardinal is scheduled to arrive in Crawfordsville at 6:48 a.m. and at Lafayette at 7:36 a.m.

One Morning in Crawfordsville, Indiana

Amtrak train No. 851 approaches the Crawfordsville station in August 2011.

When I lived in Indiana between 1983 and 1991, Amtrak’s Hoosier State was a part of my life for periodic day trips from Indianapolis to Chicago.

I actually preferred to ride the Cardinal because it had a full-service dining car and slumber coaches, which offered a reasonable fare for a return trip to Indy.

But the Cardinal only ran three days a week so more often than not I wound up going to Chicago on the Hoosier State.

After leaving Indiana for Pennsylvania and, later, Ohio, I rarely saw the Hoosier State again.

I followed its story from afar, including how it was discontinued in 1995 only to be brought back because operating a hospital train to and from Beech Grove shops in suburban Indianapolis didn’t work out so well.

In August 2011 I was on my way to Illinois. I stayed overnight in Indianapolis and got up early the next morning to get to Crawfordsville before No. 851 did.

The sun wasn’t yet above the tree line when the Hoosier State arrived, but there was enough light to document the coming and going of the train.

Since making these images, the Hoosier State has had a rough ride at times with the latest development being the takeover of the train by Iowa Pacific Holdings in July 2015.

IP won high marks for its on-board service, but the Indiana Department of Transportation declined IP’s request for more money.

So IP pulled out and Amtrak has resumed operation of the Hoosier State. Actually, Amtrak was never completely out of the picture with Nos. 850 and 851 because it provided the operating crews and handled relationships with the host railroads.

So now what was the usual state of affairs in Crawfordsville is back again. Here is a look back at a morning not too long ago when the Hoosier State came calling.

A typical Amshack that is so typical in smaller cities served by Amtrak.

The old Monon station is no longer used by Amtrak.

All aboard for Chicago and all intermediate stops.

And away it goes to its next stop in Lafayette.

A ;l;ast look at the train, which has two cars being ferried from Beech Grove to Chicago.