Wreck of Old 97 - 122nd Anniversary

[NW Mailing List]

Southern HS posted this note and picture on Facebook



*On this day in 1903, in Southern Railway history, the fast mail train #97
was running behind schedule. The engineer increased the speed to make up
lost time. He was unable to slow the train on the curved tracks approaching
the Stillhouse Trestle, leading to the derailment near Danville, VA. The
locomotive, mail cars, and an express car plunged into the ravine below.
Eleven people including the engineer died in the wreck.Photos like this and
many more, plus drawings, documents, and artifacts from the Southern
Railway can be found in the SRHA Archives in Chattanooga, TN. Learn more on
our website! While there consider joining as a member today to help keep
Southern Railway history preserved for years to come!*

Mike Rector
[image: image.png]


On Sat, Sep 27, 2025 at 1:01 PM NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <
nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:

> This article appeared in the Southern Ties magazine.  Guess it is close to
> the actual cause as you can get.  Seems old Steve opened the throttle wide
> when he was on the bridge. Guess you could say he had engine under
> control.  It was the last car being jerked off in the curve was the
> culprit.  Jim Blackstock
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 11:47:27 AM EDT, NW Mailing List <
> nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
>
>
> Since our Norfolk & Western has now long since eaten and successfully
> digested the Southern Railroad, one assumes it gives no offense here to
> mention that today is the 122nd anniversary of the Wreck of Old 97 at
> Danville, Va.
>
> No Turnips were harmed in that wreck, as the train was carrying only mail
> and canaries.
>
> And, by the way, the Engineman, Joseph A. Broady, was from Saltville, Va,
> and had previously been an engineman on the N&W.  I believe the newspaper
> accounts said that Ole Josephus was returned to Saltville for burial, so
> perhaps our own Capt. Gary Price, another denizen of Saltville, can some
> day look up his grave and inform us accordingly.
>
> Now I gotta be run and catch the Wooden Axle's No. 3 at Ingleside...
>
> -- abram burnett
> Counter-Clockwise Matrix Turnip Flux - Sold by the Flask
> .
> ________________________________________
> NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
> To change your subscription go to
> https://pairlist6.pair.net/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list
> Browse the NW-Mailing-List archives at
> https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/
> ________________________________________
> NW-Mailing-List at nwhs.org
> To change your subscription go to
> https://pairlist6.pair.net/mailman/options/nw-mailing-list
> Browse the NW-Mailing-List archives at
> https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20250928/03666867/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image.png
Type: image/png
Size: 3726306 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://pairlist6.pair.net/pipermail/nw-mailing-list/attachments/20250928/03666867/attachment-0001.png>