Coshocton railway accident
The Coshocton rail accident was a rear-end collision between an express train and a special train on September 11, 1950 in West Lafayette near Coshocton , Ohio , USA . 33 people died.
Starting position
It was early morning and foggy. A special train of 20 cars transported the 109th Regiment from Wilkes-Barre ( Pennsylvania ), a unit of the National Guard of the United States to the training camp Camp Atterbury in Indiana . The train had problems braking and therefore had to drive slowly and finally stop in Coshocton. He was secured to the rear by light signals . In addition, train conductors deposited on the track behind the train still detonators from. The special train was followed by the express train The Spirit of St. Louis , which was delayed due to the problems of the train ahead.
the accident
The engine driver of The Spirit of St. Louis drove over both the distant signal that signaled “Wait stop” and the main signal that commanded “Stop” and must also have ignored the bang. At about 50 km / h he hit the stationary troop train.
consequences
33 people died and 278 were also injured. The engine driver and stoker later claimed that they had not seen the signals in the fog.
See also
literature
- Peter WB Semmens: Disasters on the rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 .
- Robert B. Shaw: A History of Railroad Accidents, Safety Precautions and Operating Practices . 1978, pp. 251f.
Web links
- Willard A. Gower: Troop Train Accident . On the Coshocton Fire Department homepage. (Accessed: December 15, 2016)
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 40 ° 16 ′ 36.2 ″ N , 81 ° 45 ′ 5.9 ″ W.