Chillón railway accident
The Chillón railway accident on April 27, 1884 was the result of an attack on a railway bridge near Chillón , Ciudad Real province . 59 people were killed in a train crash. This was the worst railway accident in the history of Spain to date .
Starting position
A mixed train from the Compañía de los Ferrocarriles de Madrid a Zaragoza y Alicante was on the route Madrid - Ciudad Real - Badajoz . Among other things, he transported the military.
The route crossed the Alcudia river between the towns of Chillón and Almadenejos with a bridge, a wood and steel construction.
the accident
The bridge's supports were sawed. It remained unclear whether this was done by anarchists, or whether it was an attempted robbery of money, which the perpetrators suspected was transported on the train. When the train crossed the bridge at around 4 a.m., the locomotive reached the third bridge segment before the bridge collapsed. The locomotive and tender fell into the river and pulled the following wagons behind: Two 3rd class wagons and some freight wagons that were transporting cattle immediately sank in the river. The debris from the subsequent crashing cars, two mixed 1st and 2nd class cars and three other 3rd class cars were piled on top. Only one baggage car remained on the track because the coupling broke.
consequences
59 people were killed in the accident, 54 of whom were soldiers, 56 other travelers were injured. A stone cross was erected near the bridge to commemorate the accident.
literature
- Francesco de los Cobos Arteaga, Tomàs Martínez Vara: Technological Modernization in Networks With Weak Traffic Flows: Safety in Iberian Penninsula Railways During the XXth Century. In: International Railway History Association (ed.): Railway Modernization. A historical perspective. Lisbon 2009.
Web links
- Reuters: Anarchist Plot in Spain. In: The Sydney Morning Herald. April 29, 1884, p. 7.
- NN: Efemérides del día 27 de April. In: infonacional.com
- NN: La catástrofe del Puente de Alcudia. In: Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles (ed.): Vía Libre. 476, June 2004 - with pictures of the destroyed bridge.