When I was in high school, there was a story in our literature book about a passenger train engineer who was on something like Horseshoe Curve, and he realized that the freight train coming down the other side of the curve had broken in half, and the loose rear half was catching up with the front. It being a train of oil tanks, there would be a disastrous explosion when the two halves collided.
The story followed his actions as the situation dawned on him, and his actions to avoid being caught up in the ensuing fireball.
(Part of the reason for my interest in this story at this late date is my wondering HOW the author explained WHY the freight engineer didn’t KNOW his train had separated, why air brakes didn’t stop one or the other of the halves… Thus the believability of the story).
I’ve searched with about every keyword I can think of – but get no results (at least, no results concerning THIS particular story).
I think the story was also printed in Readers Digest, about 10 years after I first read it.
Does anyone remember this story?
/Lone
There was a wreck in 1947 near Altoona in which at least 11 people died, if I recall correctly. Nothing comes to mind about it being due to an earlier train separation.
Lone
We had a book in Grade School that seemed a lot of your story. It was at Galesburg and a freight had broken in half and I believe the train derailed and fouled the other main the passenger was on. That was a long time ago, but I can remember it was at Galesburg. Does that ring a bell??
CZ
Could your story date back to the late 1800s? If so, that would put in the era of link and pin couplers and no air brakes. I’ve read stories dating to those times about situations like you describe, although I don’t think they were set on Horseshoe Curve… A train parts and the front end has to race ahead of the rear end.
Jeff
The one in 1947 was a single train running too fast. That wreck is documented on the DOT web site.
There was an additional wreck also on the grade with 2 K4’s that left the inside tracks without touching the outside tracks. That was due to excessive speed. I believe that one had several people killed. the one I listed in 1947 did not completely derail. If you google the red arrow accident, you can read about the other one.
CZ
THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY REPORT IN RE ACCIDENT NEAR GALLITZIN, PA., ON FEBRUARY 28, 1947
SUMMARY
Railroad: Pennsylvania
Date: February 28, 1947
Location: Gallitzin, Pa.
Kind of accident: Derailment
Train Involved: Passenger
Train number: 3
Engine numbers: 1428-5525
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This is the accident with the two K4’s in the same vicinity.
THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD COMPANY REPORT IN RE ACCIDENT NEAR GALLITZIN, PA., ON FEBRUARY 18, 1947
Inv-3078
Railroad: Pennsylvania
Date: February 18, 1947
Location: Gallitzin, Pa.
Kind of accident: Derailment
Train involved: Passenger
Train number: 68
Engine numbers: 422-3771
Consist: 14 cars
Speed: &n
I can’t identify the story for you but if the setting was almost any time in the 19th Century or the early part of the 20th then the explanation is easy. Air brakes were not standard and were not required in interstate commerce until the 1893 Railroad Safety Appliance act. The act had a 7 year grace period and even then not all cars had to have air brakes. An amendment in 1903 stated that at least 50% of the cars be under the control of the engineer (air brakes operated from the cab) and an additional amendment in 1910 put that percentage to 85%. However, in each case it was interstate - intrastate was not included.
I have first person accounts of railroading during that period and several mention the issue of trains breaking in two in the manner you describe. In each case it was either a case of the break occuring past the cars with air brakes (my descriptions indicate the practice was to put all of the cars equipped with air brakes in a line right behind the engine in order to take advantage of the air couplings, however, somewhere in those books I’m almost sure I remember reading about some non-air brake cars being equipped with through air lines so this wasn’t necessary) or happening on a train without air brakes.