Woodbridge train wreck
When railway accident of Woodbridge derailed a fully occupied commuter train on February 6, 1951 in a construction site in the town of Woodbridge, New Jersey. 85 dead and about 500 injured were the result. This was the third worst rail accident in the United States.
Starting position
West of the breakpoint Woodbridge was a construction site accident on the afternoon of the day in the course of the railway line, the North Jersey Coast Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, has been set up, made a Gleisverschwenkung required. This had a narrow, S-shaped transition curve, as well as a temporary wooden truss bridge to cross a road. This detour around the construction site was only allowed to be 25 mph (40 km / h) passed through. Normally, here were 60 mph (96 km / h) allowed. The locomotive engineer had been informed of the expected construction site a week earlier.
On the afternoon of the accident the day wrong on this route runs regularly between the with the steam locomotive No. 2445 ( 2-3-1 ) hauled commuter train # 733 from Exchange Place in Jersey City Station to Bay Head, an express train, the ten first-class carriage and a club car led. The train was also called " broker " as used it many employees from resident on Wall Street firms for the ride home. The train was particularly strong set with 1100 passengers, since the parallel section of the Jersey Central Railroad went on strike the day of the accident.
The engineer of the train 733 and the platoon commander had been informed before departure of the train in New Jersey City in writing of the speed limit.
Circumstances of the accident
When the platoon leader noticed that the train still one mile ( 1,600 m) with undiminished speed was traveling in front of the construction site, he wanted to pull the emergency brake, which he did not reach, however, because of standing in crowded train passengers in time.
The train was so 17 against clock 43 in the bypass construction site at a rate of more than 80 km / h. The first sheet of the S-shaped curve in the driveway construction bypass ran through the train yet, in the counter-bending tipped the locomotive due to the centrifugal force to the right, moved the tracks and derailed. They lay on their sides on the embankment. The Tender and seven cars derailed, some tipped by some rushed down the embankment about eight feet high.
Follow
Since the accident occurred in the city of Woodbridge, help was quickly on the spot and injured was a nearby hospital. The number of dead and injured was thus remained relatively low because all the cars used were built of steel and no older ones were made of wood used.
The following investigation by the Interstate Commerce Commission charged the blame for the accident to the engineer to who claimed to be run in with the permitted speed for the site in the site bypass. However, the investigation report concluded that a significantly excessive speed had been committed and this was only the cause of the accident. The investigation commission recommended to provide sites with an automatic speed control, which should, if appropriate, initiate the emergency brakes to a fast train.
Against the Pennsylvania Railroad, a large number of claims for compensation was raised, all of which were settled out of court.