Rockville Center Railway Accident
In the Rockville Center railway accident on February 17, 1950 , two trains collided near Rockville Center , New York , United States . 31 people died.
Starting position
On the double-track line , due to construction work, a section about three kilometers long was only passable on a single track. This was partly in a curve. The dispatcher in the station in Rockville Center regulated the entry of trains into the single-track section, which was also secured with signals . If a signal was run over in the "Halt" position, the engine driver automatically received a warning tone.
The accident happened late in the evening. A train going to New York was the first to enter the single-track section. The oncoming train from New York was full of returning theatergoers. He was signaled "Halt" in front of the single-track section.
the accident
The engine driver of the train coming from New York later stated that he had heard the warning signal but was unable to act due to his high blood pressure . The trains collided in the area of the branching from the two-track to the single-track section. They "scratched" each other and were badly damaged on the left side. Both engine drivers, positioned on their machines on the right, survived.
consequences
31 people died. The engine driver, who had run over the signal to “stop”, was acquitted in the subsequent criminal proceedings due to his impaired health.
See also
literature
- Peter WB Semmens: Disasters on the rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 .