1953 New York Central Railroad accident

1953 New York Central Railroad accident
Date March 27, 1953
Time 10:02 P.M.
Location 2.4 miles east of Conneaut, Ohio
Country United States
Rail line New York Central Railroad
Cause Improperly secured load
Statistics
Trains 4
Deaths 21
Injuries 49

The 1953 New York Central Railroad accident was a railway accident involving the New York Central Railroad which occurred on the four track main line 2.4 miles east of Conneaut, Ohio at 10:02 P.M. on March 27, 1953.

The accident was caused by an improperly secured load of large pipes that broke loose from a gondola car on an eastbound freight train. The loose pipe, dragged by the moving train, damaged the eastbound passenger track. A passing westbound freight train notified the first train and it stopped to assess what had happened. A fast westbound passenger train then approached the scene. It was unable to stop and derailed from the damaged track, colliding with the westbound freight on the adjacent track. Then an eastbound fast passenger train approached and struck the derailed equipment from the first two trains. There were 21 deaths and 49 people were injured.[1]

Description of the accident site

The accident site was located on the main line of the Erie Division at a point 2.4 miles east of Conneaut and 1861 feet from the Ohio - Pennsylvania state line. This was on the famous "Water Level Route," a four track mainline where fast passenger trains from the Midwest ran on an almost grade less route to New York.[2] The main tracks here, from south to north, were designated as No. 4, eastward freight; No. 2, eastward passenger; No. 1, westward passenger; and No. 3, westward freight. The grade is practically level and it was raining at the time of the accident. The distance between the center-lines of adjacent tracks was 13 feet.[3]

Description of the accident

The trains involved

Accident sequence

Rescue effort

The accident site was isolated from any main road. Only a muddy dirt lane led from the crash site to a major road two miles south and it soon became blocked by vehicles mired in the mud. The injured were either carried on stretchers or moved by hand car to the nearest road. Some waited up to four hours for help. About 100 persons were treated on the scene and 62 were transported to hospitals.[4]

Accident investigation

The Interstate Commerce Commission investigated the accident. Their findings indicated that the lading of Baltimore and Ohio 254645 was not properly secured for movement when loaded because the high tension bands were not properly sealed. Because the lading was not properly secured, a portion fell from the car while in transit. When the pipes fell from the car in question, one piece became wedged between the track structure of track No. 1 and the next car, a box car. As the train proceeded at a speed of 36 miles per hour the resultant thrust transmitted by the pipe to track No. 1 moved track No. 1 northward a distance of about 18 inches before the pipe fell clear of the cars. The damaged condition of the track was not observed before No. 5 arrived at the point of accident. The track was sufficiently damaged to cause the derailment of No. 5 which in turn caused the derailment of Extra 1736 West. No. 12 struck the derailed equipment of No. 5 before protection could be provided.[3]

See also

References

  1. Shaw, Robert B. (1978). A History of Railroad Accidents, Safety Precautions and Operating Practices. Vail-Ballou Press Inc. p. 212.
  2. 1 2 3 Borsvold, David (2003). "The New York Central". Railroading in Conneaut, Ohio. Chicago, Ill.: Arcadia. ISBN 0738523461.
  3. 1 2 3 Laird, George W. (25 May 1953). "Accident in Pennsylvannia near Conneaut Ohio" (PDF). Interstate Commerce Commission. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  4. "Memories vivid 60 years after deadly train crash in Erie County". March 27, 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2014.

Sources

External links

Coordinates: 41°57′15″N 80°31′32″W / 41.954185°N 80.525533°W / 41.954185; -80.525533

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