Con Trumble recounts central Wyoming rail history and the 1923 Cole Creek disaster

Con Trumble, a steam locomotive engineer, author and volunteer with the Fort Casper Museum, told an audience that railroads shaped settlement and industry across central Wyoming and recounted the region’s most deadly passenger crash, the Cole Creek disaster of Sept. 27, 1923.

Trumble said the Chicago & Northwestern and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy lines followed the North Platte River and brought the first official passenger service to Casper in June 1888. He showed never-before-seen photographs and archival diary entries that, he said, document depot life, roundhouse operations and the company towns that grew around rail shops.

The talk centered on the Cole Creek wreck, which Trumble described as “Wyoming’s worst passenger rail disaster.” He said the overnight Burlington passenger train left Casper that night in heavy rain and flooding; track over Coal (Cole) Creek was washed away and the locomotive and multiple cars plunged into a deep channel. "I wrote the book," Trumble said, summarizing survivor accounts and official investigations. According to his account, 66 people were aboard; 31 passengers and 10 crew members died. Trumble said three independent investigations (the Interstate Commerce Commission, the county coroner and the railroad’s own inquiry) concluded the collapse of the track was unavoidable given the flood conditions.

Beyond the wreck, Trumble described Casper’s busy passenger era, the prominence of Pullman service and the eventual decline of routine passenger trains (he cited the last regular passenger service ending in 1967). He also traced the shift from steam to diesel, noting that diesels reduced the need for local shops and roundhouses and that consolidation of maintenance to larger facilities (for example, Alliance, Nebraska and Denver) led to the loss of railroading communities in Casper.

Trumble used photos and diaries from local railroad clerks such as Tom Cole to illustrate daily life in the shops, wartime service (including women working in roundhouse roles during World War I), and special events such as presidential and royal train visits. He emphasized the logistical demands of steam locomotives — frequent water stops, intensive maintenance and large shop staffs — which, he said, help explain the social infrastructure that once surrounded rail operations.

In audience questions, Trumble discussed current passenger-rail prospects in the Mountain West, noting Wyoming and South Dakota lack Amtrak service and that proposals for a Denver–Billings corridor (which would route through Casper) depend on political support. He also answered technical questions: for example, he said a 2-8-0 consolidation tender can hold about 7,500 gallons of water and larger historic locomotives held far more, making frequent water stops necessary for steam operations.

Trumble closed by previewing a forthcoming book, Steam Railroads of Central Wyoming, and said he will continue helping local museums preserve photographs and diaries. He urged attendees to visit the Fort Casper Museum and the Central Wyoming History Museum for exhibits and archival materials.

Trumble's presentation combined archival research, first-person operating experience and local preservation advocacy; he made photos and primary-diary excerpts central to the program and made clear which claims were drawn from survivor accounts and which were his interpretation as a historian and engineer. The program concluded with a brief audience Q&A and an offer to sign or discuss his books afterward.