Mourners gather at a makeshift memorial for Kendra Cameron, 11, who was struck and killed by a train in London, Ont., Saturday. (CRAIG GLOVER/QMI Agency)

LONDON, Ont. -- One minute the London girls were giggling, as the best friends often did.

The next minute, one tried to outrun a freight train as it bore down on nearby tracks.

It was a race Kendra Cameron. 11, couldn't win, leaving behind a shattered family, friends and neighbours shaking with sorrow.