SD-45 1728

[NW Mailing List]

Concerning the wreck on the Reading on October 31, 1974, which heavily damaged a number of N&W engines... 



I have just had a e-mail from a former Reading Signal Maintainer on that territory, Greg Ricker, who was at the wreck.  Greg confirmed that the two trains were indeed EASTbound, not westbound as I earlier stated. 


Greg stated that the occurred a bit east of the road crossing at Lees Cross Roads, which would place it somewhere west of MP 35 (mileposts number westward from PH&P Jct at Harrisburg, presently called "Capital Interlocking.")  The line involved is presently called the "Lurgan Branch," but for a century the Reading had called it the PH&P Branch (Philadelphia, Harrisburg & Pittsburgh Branch.)  Although this line was only 42 miles long (Harrisburg to Shippensburg,) it carried its grandiloquent name because it was the link by which the Reading moved traffic to Pittsburgh (via its Western Maryland connection at Lurgan Interlocking in Shippensburg,) competing with the Pennsylvania. 



It is strikes me as unusual that the following train (which was apparently the loaded coal train) would have struck a preceding train at this point, for, given the location, it would have been operating on an ascending grade of 0.25% for about six miles.  Although not a really hard pull, that grade does require working the engine in a significant way.  Guess this just shows that anything can happen if one  (a) does not pay attention, (b) dozes off, or (c) both of the above. 



-- abram burnett 
 
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