Casper Historian Con Trumbull Just Released New Book on Wyoming’s Worst Passenger Rail Disaster

On an unusually stormy September evening in 1923, 69 passengers boarded train No. 30. It departed the Burlington Depot in downtown Casper and was scheduled to reach Denver, Colorado, the following morning. Just an hour into its voyage, disaster struck: the locomotive and most of the passenger cars plummeted through the dark night into a void left by the washed-out Cole Creek Bridge. The result was Wyoming's worst passenger rail disaster.

Casper historian Con Trumbull will be signing copies of his just-released book, "Steam, Steel, and Silence: The Story of the Cole Creek Train Wreck," at Fort Caspar Museum from 2:00 to 3:00 pm on Saturday, October 21st.

Con Trumbull, president of the Fort Caspar Museum Association, is a fifth generation Wyoming rancher from Casper. His love of history and railroads led him to the Nevada Northern Railway in Ely, Nevada, where he is the Trainmaster as well as the Archivist. He brings first-hand knowledge of operating century-old steam locomotives and passenger cars to provide a unique insight into the Cole Creek Wreck. He co-authored "Images of America: Casper" and was the author for "Images of Rail: Central Wyoming Railroads" as well as a children's book series "The Adventures of Dirt the Shop Cat."

You can urchase his book at the museum's gift shop, have it signed by the author, and then enjoy a visit to the Museum.

Admission to the book signing is free, but there is a small fee to visit the exhibits: $2 for adults (ages 19-61); $1.50 for teens (ages 13-18 years) and seniors (ages 62 and over); $1 for youths (ages 6-12 years); and children 5 years and younger and Museum members are free.

The Museum's winter hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesdays through Saturdays. Fort Caspar is located at 4001 Fort Caspar Road in Casper.