1920 — June 9, rear-end passenger and express trains collision near Schenectady, NY– 15
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 5-31-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
— 15 ICC. Summary of Accident Investigation Reports No. 4, April, May, and June 1920, p. 29.
Narrative Information
ICC: “Rear-end collision between a passenger train and an express train near Schenectady, N. Y., on June 9, 1920, resulting in the death of 14 passengers and 1 employee, and the injury of 37 passengers, 5 persons carried under contract, and 1 employee.
“This accident was caused by the failure of the engineman of the following train properly to observe and be governed by automatic block-signal indications, as well as the stop signals of the flagman of the preceding train.
“That portion of the Mohawk division on which this accident occurred is a four-track line over which trains are operated by timetable, train orders, and an automatic block-signal system. The tracks are numbered from south to north, 2, 1, 3, and 4; the accident occurred on track 2. Approaching the point of accident from the west there is a 1-degree 30-minute curve to the left, 2,900 feet in length, extending to within about 300 feet of signal 16452; following this curve the track is tangent to the point of accident. The point of accident is located about 5 miles east of signal station 11, and about 2,100 feet east of automatic signal 16452, which is 5,003 feet east of automatic signal 16552. The grade is slightly descending for eastbound trains. The weather at the time of the accident was clear.
“Eastbound passenger train No. 28 consisted of 1 express car, 1 mail car, 1 baggage car, 2 coaches, and the Pullman sleeping cars Wandin and Florimond, in the order named, hauled by engine 3389. All of the cars in this train except the express car were of steel construction. Upon the arrival of train No. 28 at Utica, 77.6 miles from Schenectady, it was necessary to make repairs to the brake pipe under the tender. The train departed from Utica at 10.17 p. m., 24 minutes late, passed signal station 11, at 12.19 a. m., 32 minutes late, and was brought to a stop east of signal 16452 by an application of the air brakes caused by the defective brake pipe. While repairs were being made the rear of the train was struck by train No. 34.
“Eastbound express train No. 34 consisted of 9 baggage and express cars and 1 coach, hauled by engine 3461. It passed signal station 11 at 12.23 a. m., 1 hour and 59 minutes late, and at about 12.29 a. m., while traveling at a speed estimated to have been 55 or 60 miles an hour, collided with train No. 28.
“Train No. 28 was driven ahead a distance of about three car-lengths; the sleeping car Wandin was badly damaged and was thrown over on its right side on the south side of the track; the Florimond was driven under the coach, the third car from the rear, the superstructure of the Florimond being practically demolished The first two cars of train No. 34, a steel underframe express car and a wooden baggage car, were demolished. The employee killed was the engineman of train No. 34.
“The evidence indicates that train No. 34 had closed up on train No. 28 to such an extent that at signal station 11 the two trains were only 4 minutes apart. Approaching the point of accident the flagman of train No. 28 threw off a fusee when he noticed the speed of the train was being reduced, and he said it was still burning when his train passed around the curve out of sight. When the train had come to a stop he started back immediately, taking with him lanterns, fusees, and torpedoes, and had gone a distance estimated by him to have been about 25 car lengths when he heard train No. 34 approaching. He waved a lighted fusee, ran toward the approaching train and threw the fusee at the engine as it passed him, but no attention was paid to his signals. The estimates as to the time which elapsed after train No. 28 stopped until the accident occurred varied from .2 to 5 minutes….
“This accident again directs attention to the need for an automatic train-control system by means of which a train can be brought under control when for any reason the engineman fails to observe and obey automatic block-signal indications. (A detailed report covering the investigation of this accident was published by the commission under date of July 20, 1920.)” (ICC. Summary of Accident Investigation Reports No. 4, April, May, and June 1920, pp. 29-31.)
Newspaper
June 9: “Schenectady, June 9. – Thirteen persons were killed and 21 injured today when a train of express cars crashed into the rear end of a passenger train which had stopped about two miles from Schenectady because of engine trouble.
“All but one of those killed were asleep in two Pullmans at the rear of the passenger train. Martin Doyle of Albany, engineer of the express, died at his post, one hand being fast to the throttle when his body was found in the wreckage.
“The passengers killed were:
Walter J. Zuill of 1,700 East Genessee street, director of the Syracuse Washer corporation,
was among the six passengers killed on train 28…
Mrs. Watson H. Bowne, 315 Genesee street, Utica, her 12-year-old grandson, Daniel
Crouse, and her 20-months-old granddaughter, Marion Crouse.
John J. Kenney, Utica.
Six unidentified men.
One unidentified woman.
Nellis M. Crouse, father of the children who were killed, was severely injured, with another
young daughter.
“Train No. 34, a Michigan Central special with ten cars carrying express matter, disregarded signals and went at high speed into train No. 28, a New York Central passenger train, bound from Buffalo to New York, according to the story of C. Robinson, brakeman of No. 28. He said he waved a red lantern in vain and finally threw it into the cab as the express dashed by.
“The Pullman at the rear of the train had 12 passengers and was demolished. Its passengers were bound for New York. Next to it was a Pullman with 22 passengers destined for Boston. The other cars of the passenger train were day coaches and baggage and mail cars….” (Syracuse Herald, NY. “Engineer Misses Signal; Drives Solid Express Into Passenger Train… Express Trying to Make Up Time; Passengers Die As They Sleep.” 6-98-1920, p. 1.)
Sources
Syracuse Herald, NY. “Engineer Misses Signal; Drives Solid Express Into Passenger Train… Express Trying to Make Up Time; Passengers Die As They Sleep.” 6-98-1920, p. 1. Accessed 5-31-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/syracuse-herald-jun-09-1920-p-1/
United States Interstate Commerce Commission. Summary of Accident Investigation Reports No. 4, April, May, and June 1920. Washington, DC: GPO, 1920. Google digitized [at p.178]: http://books.google.com/books?id=c3zNAAAAMAAJ&printsec=titlepage&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0