N&W in 1911 - Crossing accident

[NW Mailing List]

This reminds me of a near accident I witnessed as a small boy.  I was
watching a local passenger train arriving at Riverton, New Jersey, and a
horse and wagon started across the tracks as the train was almost upon the
crossing next to the station.  The driver saw the train at the last second
and reined in the horses, backing off the tracks.  The engineer then tried
to proceed to the station with tremendous puffing and slipping of the
drivers, but the brakes were too strong, so the train sat there until enough
air pressure was built up to release the brakes and allow the train to
proceed the short distance into the station.  This made a great impression
on me that I remember vividly to this day.

 

Bob McKell

Chillicothe, Ohio

From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org
[mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Monday, April 11, 2011 5:29 PM
To: 3N&W Mailing List
Subject: N&W in 1911 - Crossing accident

 

Bluefield Daily Telegraph
August 18, 1911

 

BUGGY HIT BY TRAIN AND TOTALLY DEMOLISHED

------

Tazewell Farmer and His Family Have Almost Miraculous Escape From Death

 

    Tazewell, Va., Aug. 16 (Special)--Adam Ritter, a farmer living near
here, and several members of this family had an almost miraculous escape
from being killed by a freight train at the Tazewell station this morning.
Mr. Ritter had driven to the station in a buggy to meet his family and in
returning had to cross the railroad track on which an engine was shifting
cars for the Tazewell depot.  He had succeeded to getting nearly across the
track when the buggy was struck by the shifting cars and almost entirely
demolished.  The women, sitting in the rear of the buggy, jumped and were
uninjured but the buggy was demolished.

------

* [A precursor of the horseless buggy/train encounters to come?]

 

Gordon Hamilton

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20110412/3c2d5894/attachment.html>