Obituaries:  Marion L. Harwell, Sabine Parish       H-640
Source:  Sabine Index, Many, La., Oct 1, 1970
Submitted by: Carl Dilbeck
              carlrad@earthlink.net


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Marion L. Harwell

  Two Shreveport trainmen were killed Wednesday night, Sept. 23,
at 8:20, when the southbound Kansas City Southern freight train
they were in, ran into the rear of a switcher train, standing on
the through track, near St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Zwolle.

  There was an explosion upon contact, according to witnesses,
setting fire to more than 28,000 gallons of diesel fuel, and
causing some cars of pulpwood on the switch train to catch fire.

  Four engines were pulling 144 cars on the southbound train, and
several cars were loaded with chemicals. The switcher engine was
pulling about 25 cars, most of which were loaded with pulpwood.

  The caboose of the switcher train was completely demolished.
Three of the engines were knocked off the track, and the other
landed atop of the cars loaded with pulpwood. In addition, four
box cars, and one flat car of the mainline train were derailed.

  Killed in the crash were Marion L. Harwell, 60, engineer of the
southbound train, and Ross A. Hartwell, the brakeman.

  Fire units from Many, Mansfield, Natchitoches, and Logansport
were summoned to the scene, and with the aid of foam, battled the
blaze until the early hours of Thursday morning.

  Zwolle Marshal Quinton said the switcher train was standing
still on the tracks near the Zwolle depot, and the through train
engineer apparently did not see the other train in time.

  Some 200 feet of track were ripped up. KCS crews moved in
immediately to repair the track, and clean up the wreckage.
Normal service through Zwolle was resumed shortly after noon,
Thursday.

  Marshal Brandon and his force was on hand, as were deputies with
the Sabine Parish Sheriff's office, Many Marshal George R. Cook,
and Deputies, Sgt. Joe Ryles of the State Police, and Parish
Coroner, Dr. Richard J. Oosta. The kept spectators back, and
escorted fire units and equipment.

  Two officials with the Federal Railroad Administration were in
Sabine Parish Friday, to investigate the wreck.

  Mr. Harwell was an employee of KCS since 1942, and was a well
known railroad figure in the local area. For the past several
years, he ran the KCS railroad display at the Louisiana State
Fair. He also served as a Little League baseball coach since
1951, and for the past several years, had been working in the
American Legion program.

  Mr. Hartwell was a native of Claremore, Okla. He was born in
1921, and joined KCS in April of 1945. His son, Billy Ross
Hartwell, also was a KCS brakeman.

  Old timers termed it the worst train wreck Sabine Parish has
seen.