On December 18, 2017, on the opening day of the new service, an Amtrak Cascades train sped around a curve in DuPont, Washington and derailed, killing at least three and injuring 100 others. Among those killed were two lifelong railfans by the names of Zack Willhoite and James Hamre. They were active members of many enthusiast groups and were rail advocates in the state of Washington. We're petitioning for the Washington State Department of Transportation to rename Siemens SC-44 Charger locomotives No. 1400 and 1401 (two of the new locomotives that were not involved in the wreck) after Zack and James respectively. What better way to honor these two railfans than by displaying their names on the side of the locomotives of the very line they knew and loved? Please sign if you agree with this sentiment.

I will note that this petition was not my idea, I just put it together. I saw the idea on a facebook group, but the original poster said they didn't know how to create a petition, so I did for them. Please share this petition with anyone that you think would care about this.

UPDATE/REPONSE (please read before commenting):

In response to all of you. I understand your concerns and critiques. Please read what I have to say, as well as the comments below of the people that have signed on. They sound to me like heartfelt citizens, not "foamers."

Also, to anyone who wants to know why I chose this incident instead of the countless other rail tragedies, this incident is no more significant or worse than Lac Megantic or Chatsworth or Philadelphia or anywhere else. This incident is fresh on our minds. People have reached out. If you feel that other victims of other incidents deserve memorial or recognition in a similar or different way, you have my full support in getting that done.

So far, three people have been identified as killed. Let's hope and pray that number does not rise.

These two railfans here were more than that. They were lifelong friends. They advocated for this train. They cared very deeply about it.

If more people end up dying as a result of injuries or bodies found etc, then they absolutely should be honored in this same way. I explained in the petition description why these two railfans are honored. The third man killed, who was also a railfan and while deserving of this honor was a registered sex offender. While a human life is a human life, I can assure you all that would not fly with the state. This is not “foamer logic.” This idea was pitched by one of the dead men’s close friend. The point of this is a small gesture to honor the victims. This was in no way my idea. I wanted to honor what the DEAD VICTIM’s friend wanted. This is a simple way to do that and similar things have been done before. Please reconsider.