I have the book Tragic Train, and have read it many times. One thing that doesn't make sense, from a physical standpoint :
If the rail was indeed jacked over to the inside of where it had been, why didn't the engines derail immediately, at that point, BEFORE the bridge ??? How were the top heavy engines able to make it through the bridge while the lighter passenger cars derailed into the through truss bridge ??? The book states : " The unit had been supported upon the rails and was prevented from overturning by the motor housings and spring planks. " ( pg.81 ) The book also quotes the engineer that the train was going " no more than sixty miles an hour." ( pg.79 )
I also question the amount of " evidence " that Espee came up with to support their claim that the rail had been tampered with; even photographs taken ( presumably by Espee ) of a roadmaster lying under the train, still at the derailment scene, pointing out the tampered rail.
Me thinkest Espee dost protest too much ... Perhaps to cover up for excessive speed through the area??? " The City of San Francisco, Southern Pacific's train # 101, drew to a stop at Harney to pick up a lone passenger. " ( pg.42 ) WHAT??? This train only made limited stops, fewer than other passenger trains on the same line. Harney, Nevada was a speck on the map. Why stop The Streamliner at Harney for ONE PASSENGER ??? After leaving Harney, the engineer is quoted as saying to the fireman : " Twenty - eight minutes behind schedule." ( pg. 42 ). Was the engineer trying to make up time ???