Almonte railway accident

Accident site

The railway accident in Almonte was a collision between two trains on 27 December 1942 at the railway station of Almonte , Ontario , Canada . The accident, in which 36 people died, occurred because the staff on both trains made mistakes.

Starting position

Due to the Second World War , the volume of traffic on the Canadian railways had grown considerably and was further increased by the Christmas traffic during these days. A leading passenger train was traveling from Chalk River to Ottawa and was delayed . It was followed by a troop transport train, for which a lower speed was prescribed than for the train ahead to Ottawa. In order to maintain sufficient distance from the train ahead, the troop transport train was even temporarily stopped in a train station in the distance. It was foggy and raining .

the accident

When the passenger train stopped in Almonte, it came to a stop in such a way that its last carriages were still about 60 meters outside the entrance switch to the station. Nevertheless, the staff of this train failed to secure it according to regulations. When he received the signal "Drive free" to exit the station , he started moving.

The troop transport train was meanwhile on the route again . He had driven much faster than expected. As he approached the Almonte train station, the engine driver first braked, but then thought he recognized the signal "free travel". What he had seen, however, was the exit signal for the passenger train. The train driver of the troop train released the brakes and tried to pick up speed again when he drove into the end of the passenger train that was just starting up.

consequences

36 people died and more than 200 were injured.

literature

Peter WB Semmens: Disasters on the rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 .

Individual evidence

^ Peter WB Semmens: Catastrophes on rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 , p. 108.
^ ^A ^b ^c Peter WB Semmens: Disasters on rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 , p. 107.
^ Peter WB Semmens: Catastrophes on rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 , p. 107f.

[1] Peter WB Semmens: Catastrophes on rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 , p. 108.

[Semens-s107-2] A ^b ^c Peter WB Semmens: Disasters on rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 , p. 107.

[3] Peter WB Semmens: Catastrophes on rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 , p. 107f.