Great Train Disasters - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

Early causes of train accidents. Accidents covered: Andover, MA., Jan. 06, 1853, Boston and Maine, broke a wheel. Franklin Pierce en route to inauguration reported as one of three fatalities. It was his 12 year old son. The Pennsylvania ...See moreEarly causes of train accidents. Accidents covered: Andover, MA., Jan. 06, 1853, Boston and Maine, broke a wheel. Franklin Pierce en route to inauguration reported as one of three fatalities. It was his 12 year old son. The Pennsylvania immigrant train Norwalk, CT. N.Y.N.H. & H. went through open drawbridge. Oliver Wendell Holmes erroneously reported dead, but 30 other doctors from an A.M.A. convention in N.Y.C. were among the 43 who perished. 1857 Camp Hill, Pa. church children on way to picnic, rear ended by another train. Conductor of the second train committed suicide but was exonerated. Casey Jones died Memphis trying to make up time The Angola Horror. Coal stoves started fires. N.Y. Express at Angola, N.Y. Inspired Westinghouse for braking system. Took years for railroads to adopt. Aug. 26, 1871, Revere Depot, Massachusetts Eastern Railroad express slammed into from rear 32 killed. Led to public indignation meetings. Charles Frances Adams of the Massachusetts State Railroad Commission said that any railroad running single track without a telegraph is criminally liable. 1976, Pacific Express Ashtabula, Ohio, train with 2 locomotives and 11 cars crossing trestle, engineer heard sounds of it breaking, opened the throttle. Second engine and 11 cars plunged 75 feet into an abyss. 52 passengers lived. Hotel Antler set up to take in wounded. 83 died at least 70 missing. Charles Collins questioned its safety, Amasa Stone told him to go ahead. Both committed suicide Aug. 10th, 1887, Peoria excursion to Niagara falls, burned out culvert at Chatsworth, 82 passengers died. 1893, may 29th, Walter L. Main circus train, brake failure at McCann's Crossing near Tyrone, PA on an "s" curve, 40 foot embankment, 5 humans and 60 horses dead. Hanna Friday confronted by escaped Bengal tiger when trying to milk her cow. July 9th, 1918, Nashville train wreck, investigation felt that if the passenger cars were made of steel there would have been fewer casualties. March 18th, 1912, boiler explosion in work shop excessive pressure due to low water level. 1934, Dec. 27th, Powelton WV Elkhorn Piney coal company train boiler explosion.. 1939 City of San Francisco streamliner Chicago to Oakland in 40 hours, crossing Humbolt River near Carlin, NV., sabotage spikes removed, 28 dead, 115 injured 1947 Pennsylvania RR's Red Arrow from Detroit to New York, 23 people died at Bennington curve due to derailment caused by excessive speed 1951 Woodbridge, NJ, Pennsylvania RR's Broker's Special, 84 killed and 350 injured when train took a temporary trestle too fast Jan 15 1953, Pennsylvania RR's Federal Express had brake failure approaching Union station, 87 injured Safety inventions: leading trucks, headlight, cowcatcher, standard time, iron track replaced by steel, torpedo signal, coal stoves replaced by steam heating, steel passenger cars, two-way radios and automatic braking system when signal missed. Written by Anonymous See less