These pictures of a train derailment in Dayton were taken about 1958-59. I need to get back to reading the newspaper to see if I can find the exact date. Maybe someone seeing this will know exactly when it happened. If so, please leave the date in the comments.
In any case, you may recognize some of the bystanders, even if you can only see their backs. Click on the picture to see the full size version.
Dayton and the Greens 
In the photo where the young boy in a blue shirt is facing the camera! That kid looks like Butchie Frig, or Flig (can’t remember the spelling of his last name)! The young guy in the brownish leather jacket just to the right of Butch is, I think, Jimmy Dezo! Right behind Butch looks like Roger Thompson’s older brother (can’t remember his first name)! All three of these guys would be the right age at the time of this train wreck!
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These are great pictures, and I can say with certainty that today, the public would be kept far away from a derailment scene.
I wonder what the bagged commodity in the open Great Northern boxcar was. The car seems lightly loaded, which means that it was either a less-than-carload shipment, or that the lading gained legs and walked away after the derailment.
The steam crane rerailing the rolling stock is definitely an anachronism. In addition to eliminating the use of steam for cranes, the railroads today generally contract with outside firms who specialize in derailment cleanup, and the equipment comes to the scene by road.
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