| Murdock | |
| Settlement Type: | Unincorporated community |
| Pushpin Map: | USA Illinois |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location within the state of Illinois |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Illinois |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Douglas |
| Leader Title: | Leighton Grothaus |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Population As Of: | 2000 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | Central (CST) |
| Utc Offset: | -6 |
| Timezone Dst: | CDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -5 |
| Elevation Ft: | 640 |
| Coordinates: | 39.8008°N -88.0783°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes |
| Postal Code: | 61941 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 414242 |
Murdock is an unincorporated community in Douglas County, Illinois, United States. Its elevation is 640 feet (195 m). Although Murdock is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 61941.[1]
On September 2, 1983, a Baltimore and Ohio Railroad train derailed at about 3:30 p.m., starting a fire. The fire heated tanks filled with liquefied petroleum gas, resulting in two large boiling liquid expanding vapor explosions. The force of the first explosion catapulted one of the tanker cars 3630feet into the wilderness. As night fell, the fire continued to burn, and the second explosion created a blinding light as if it was daylight at night.[2] Both of these incidents were caught on video and shown on television programs and news segments around the world.[3]