Benson Railway Accident
In the Benson railway accident on December 20, 1919, a freight train traveling east and a passenger train traveling in the opposite direction collided head- on near Benson , Maine , USA . 23 people died.
Starting position
The passenger train No. 39 ran in four train parts, one behind the other at some distance, on the single-track route of the Canadian Pacific Railway , which runs across the United States. The freight train was significantly delayed and had only traveled 145 km in the last 12 hours. The locomotive crew wanted to get to Brownville Junction station, some 40 km ahead of them , before they could not continue after 16 hours of service. The freight train was stopped at Morkill station so that the third part of passenger train No. 39 could cross . At the same time, the staff of the freight train received the written order about the crossing with the fourth part of train no. 39, which should also take place in Morkill .
the accident
The staff of the freight train misunderstood the arrangement and related it to the third part of the passenger train. Assuming that the matter had been properly dealt with after the third part of the passenger train had passed, the freight train entered the route on which the fourth part of train No. 39 was approaching from the opposite direction. A head-on collision followed between the towns of Benson and Onawa .
consequences
23 people died, 35 were also injured.
See also
literature
- Peter WB Semmens: Disasters on the rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 .