San Joaquin train 714 was involved in a tragic crossing wreck on Dec 12 when it struck a Ford Aerostar minivan near Shafter in northern Kern County at about 4pm. The van was crushed under the engine (unit 2012, an F59PHI recently put into service), and all seven occupants died. Two of them were thrown from the van. The victims were believed to be farm laborers.

     The Philadelphia Inquirer ran an article Dec 11, a followup to the report of the Acela Express accident that killed three teenagers Dec 9, reporting railroad efforts to keep trespassers off tracks--an effort which is obviously not totally effective.

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