Railway accident in Rothenkirchen

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Accident near Rothenkirchen (1903)
Damaged locomotive ( IV K )

The Rothenkirchen railway accident occurred on August 17, 1903 at around 9:30 p.m. on the Wilkau-Haßlau-Carlsfeld narrow-gauge railway , south of Zwickau . He claimed 3 dead and 30 injured when the locomotive and 12 passenger cars on the evening train from Rothenkirchen to Wilkau derailed due to excessive speed.

the accident

The train driver, who lives in Cunersdorf , had brought the midday train from Wilkau to Schönheide , took another train back to Rothenkirchen and later took over the last train from Carlsfeld to Wilkau. In the meantime he spent in the local restaurant “Bahnschlösschen”, where the majority of his passengers, the association “Die Gemütlichen” from Wilkau, organized a dance evening. It could not be clarified whether the train driver was talking about alcohol.

The departure of the evening train in Rothenkirchen was delayed by 15 minutes because the conductors of the 18 wagons tried in vain to light the ceiling lights - as it turned out later, the lamps had not been refilled with kerosene , which is probably an even greater (fire) Prevented disaster.

The train driver probably wanted to make up for this delay and drove the curve-rich route at excessive speed. Many passengers noticed this shortly after departure and complained to the conductor.

Between Rothenkirchen and Obercrinitz, the locomotive derailed in a narrow curve of track together with 12 of the 18 wagons and fell down the slope. 10 two-axle wagons were overturned, 8 of which were smashed. 3 dead and 30 injured were the result.

examination

The surviving train driver denied any guilt during interrogation and in court; he had braked the machine strictly according to regulations in front of the sheet in question. An excessive consumption of alcohol could not be proven. The district court of Zwickau sentenced him to three years and six months in prison.

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