If you’ve ever been to the Whistle Stop Café, you might have noticed the«Train Wreck Burger» on the menu. Ever wonder why? The answer can be found in two sculptures located in the Whistle Stop’s parking lot that commemorate a nasty 1975 accident when a flatbed railroad car hauling a load of lumber shifted and the train crashed into an overpass on Palisado Avenue. There are two sculptures here, each with a descriptive plaque. The first statue is near the side entrance to the restaurant. It’s an abstract work with railroad track rails and wood ties with various train parts laid out inside the tracks. The second statue includes huge hunks of twisted metal, presumably debris from the smashed overpass. I did a lot of research trying to find an account of this 1975 accident without any success. Nevertheless, it’s a very interesting and highly creative pair of attention grabbers at the Whistle Stop.
