In the early hours of September 22, 1993, Amtrak’s Sunset Limited barreled toward a bridge over Big Bayou Canot. Unbeknownst to the crew, the bridge had been fatally damaged by a barge hours earlier.

At 2:33 A.M., a train packed with passengers began a routine journey—and rolled straight into disaster. When the Sunset Limited hit a broken bridge, 47 lives were lost in seconds. This is the ...