Back in about 1974, the Penn Central had a derailment just down the hill from my parent’s house in Bogota, NJ. I was wondering if anyone may know where or how I can find some information on it. As I recall, some kids broke a lock off a turnout and switched a mainline to the siding. Anyway, I would be interested in some articles and perhaps a photo or two.
Thanks,
Dennis
Being as how unpopular PennCentral was, I wonder if there’s any RR Historical Society there that may have some info, or how about the newspaper ?
Thanks, John
While trying to find the above information, I stumbled onto a neat web site with a good collection of train photos.
Hope nobody objects:
http://www.trainnet.org/Libraries/catalog016.htm
Dennis
Dennis, I don’t know about this particular derailment, partially because I was born in 1990. However, something like that happened around here a while ago. Some kids broke a lock off the switch, and the train ended up going into a spur which led to a factory. I believe that there was a derail on that track, so the train didn’t hit the building. My grandfather, who was in construction at the time, was assigned to clean up of the wreck. My mom told me about it when we passed by the spot where it happened, because she was with him when he started clean up.
Dennis, have you tried searching the archives of the local newspapers? Don’t know if the Starledger or Newark News covered your area.
I just checked the NTSB page on railroad accidents and it doesn’t list on in Bogota, NJ in 1974.
Here are the only reports listed on the site from 1974:
Title: Burlington Northern Inc., Monomethylamine Nitrite Explosion, Wenatchee, Washington, August 6, 1974.
NTSB Report Number: RAR-76-01, adopted on 2/2/1976
NTIS Report Number: PB-250032/AS
Title: Collision of the Southern Railway Work Train with a Polk District Schoolbus at Aragon, Georgia, October 23, 1974.
NTSB Report Number: RHR-75-01, adopted on 7/7/1975
NTIS Report Number: PB-244467/AS
Title: Hazardous Materials Accident at the Southern Pacific Transportation Company’s Englewood Yard in Houston, Texas, September 21, 1974.
NTSB Report Number: RAR-75-07, adopted on 5/21/1975
NTIS Report Number: PB-243598/AS
Title: Collision of St. Louis/San Francisco Railway Trains 3210 and 3211, Mustang, Oklahoma, September 1, 1974.
NTSB Report Number: RAR-75-06, adopted on 5/7/1975
NTIS Report Number: PB-242771/AS
Title: Long Island Railroad Company, Door Accident, Huntington Station, New York, December 1, 1974.
NTSB Report Number: RAR-75-05, adopted on 4/30/1975
NTIS Report Number: PB-242233/AS
Title: Hazardous Materials Accident in the Railroad Yard of the Norfold and Western Railway at DeCatur, Illinois, July 19, 1974.
NTSB Report Number: RAR-75-04, adopted on 4/10/1975
NTIS Report Number: PB-242807/AS
Title: Collision of Penn Central Freight Train OV-8 with an Open Drawbridge Cleveland, Ohio, May 8, 1974.
NTSB Report Number: RAR-75-03, adopted on 3/26/1975
NTIS Report Number: PB-242430/AS
Title: Derailment of an Amtrak Train on the Tracks of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company at Melvern, Kansas, July 5, 1974.
NTSB Report Number: RAR-75-01, adopted on 2/5/1975
NTIS Report Number: PB-240728/AS
Title: Derailment and Subs
Thanks for the replies. I did try the Bergen Record newspaper, but they have archived everything into a fee for service and a relatively pricey fee at that. I will try the NTSB site for some other dates. Thanks for the link. I will also check the Newark Star Ledger as they do cover the area and seem to do a good job.
Again, thanks,
dennis
Dennis,
Our local library maintains a set of microfishe and electronic scan files of old newspapers. Maybe yours has the same. No cost unless you make copies.
Thanks Roy. I am now quite a distance from there and I am sure it would only be in the regional papers. I will keep it in mind when I go back for a visit. I am also going to inquire of the fire/rescue archives. I will always remember the loud crash as the train derailed and all the cars, etc it took out. Fortunately, it was late at night and no one was killed.
Thanks,
Dennis
Well, no luck with the ntsb. I guess not all derailments are listed/reported.
Dennis- Have you tried any Historical Societies in New Jersey or maybe the County Courthouse as they should have some type of record for this accident somewhere.? Local Libraries in your area should be able to obtain an interlibrary loan of Microfilm from Bogota,NJ as well. Take Care.
Dennis : no, not all derailments are reported, I can’t count all the small one car or one eng. or so derailments that I rerailed cars on & nothing was reported or recorded, only to save the crews from getting in trouble, provided there was no or little damage, or damage that we could repair right then without shopping them. The derailment you mention sounds like a pretty good size one & I don’t think they could cover that one up, so it should be documented somewhere & the only other thing is maybe the year it happened that you could be off on.
Thanks, John
How far is Bogota N.J. from either Philadelphia PA or Phillipsberg N.J?
You might try the Pennsylvania Railroad Historical Society or a local newspaper from that part of N.J. Maybe the Central of New Jersey may have an article about it as this happened in N.J. at the time.
Not sure but this may be a wild guess but the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society may have a link on thier webpage or somebody may know where to research the article as Reading had a few mainlines into N.J. territory.
If memory serves me correctly the Pennsy & NYC merger happened around 1975 or 76, not in 74.
Lee F.
Lee, the merger happened back around 1968. The Conrail take over took place about 1976. It was definately PennCentral. I remember seeing the locomotives twisted. I emailed the PC historical society and a guy who has a lot of PC stuff on his web site, but we shall see. this is kinda like a mission for me. Doesn’t really result in anything, just looking back to memories of my childhood.
Thanks for the help, I will let y’all know what I come up with.
Dennis
I think it was 1983 that both the Pennsy & NYC went into Conrail. I know for sure that the Reading Railroad freight lines went into Conrail in 1976, and the Reading Company passenger service was either sold off or absorbed by Amtrac.
Another thing that I know is that the Pennsy was low on locomotives during the 1950’s and early 60’s and leased some loco power Reading Lines(the freight part of Reading).
Lee F.
Hi Lee !! No, the NYC & Pennsy had merged in the later 60s to become PennCentral RR. My Dad worked worked for the NYC & retired somewhere around that merger in 66 or 67 & I started on PennCentral in 1975 which became Conrail in 1976. That originally took in 5 fallen flag RRs & few more later on, like The Monungahala RR.
Thanks, John
Hi John,
Some of the library information that I got must be wrong then!
My grandfather worked for the Reading Company and retired around 1967. The Reading was having financial problems in the mid to late 60’s and filed for bankruptcy around 1970.
Any way Conrail closed down some rail lines and took up a lot of tracks in Reading and nearby cities in the late 70’s.
Lee F.
Hi Lee !! I think the Reading was in there with Millw. Rd, D & H, PennCentral & maybe CNW, in the forming of Conrail. I could be wrong though !! I’ve seen it documented many times but I’m not sure now. I wouldn’t think the library book you had would be wrong. We’ll run across it again & I’ll write it down next time I see it !!
Thanks, John