|
The Shepherdsville train wreck was a fatal railway accident that occurred on December 20, 1917 in Shepherdsville, Kentucky on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, which killed 49 people (some sources say 51), and left a similar number seriously injured.〔(Train Wreck Marker ) installed at (the corner of 2nd and Walnut Streets in Shepherdsville, Bullitt County )〕 It is the worst and deadliest train wreck of Kentucky's history.〔〔(The Bullitt County History Museum: ''1917 Train Wreck Book - New Edition'' )〕 ==Accident== A local train No.41, known as the ''Accommodation'', departed Union Station in Louisville〔("Union Station, 10th Street and Broadway, Louisville, Ky." )〕 at 4:35 pm, bound for Springfield.〔 It comprised an engine pulling a baggage car, a combination smoker/colored car, and a first class car. It arrived at Brooks, 14 miles from Louisville at 5:12 pm, some six minutes late, and its conductor was told by the dispatcher to let the approaching Cincinnati-to-New Orleans express train, ''Flyer'', pass at Shepherdsville unless he could make it to Bardstown Junction. The ''Flyer'' had left Louisville at 4:53 pm, nearly two hours late;〔 it had nine steel cars and was intending to make up time on the run south.〔 The local train's conductor decided to stop as normal at Shepherdsville (rather than to go straight into the siding) then confirm the ''Flyer's'' position before deciding whether to back into the siding. Unfortunately when it arrived at the station at 5:24 the station operator had no news about the ''Flyer'', so Conductor Campbell hurried to the depot for information. Meanwhile, the ''Flyer'' passed Brooks, giving four short whistle blasts to request right of way; this was granted, the signal being changed from red to green. The depot informed the Campbell that the ''Flyer'' was approaching fast so the local pulled forward in order to "back in" at the switch. The engineer on the ''Flyer'' reported later that half a mile from Shepherdsville, "I blew four blasts for orders. I could see the signal only dimly, and it was green, our signal to proceed if we had seen it change from red to green. I did not see it change, I believed it had already changed from red to green, meaning for me to proceed".〔 As the local threw the switch to allow it to back into the siding the signal automatically changed the signal to red. The ''Flyer's'' engineer immediately applied the emergency brakes but too late. It struck the rear of the wooden framed local at a speed of 25 mph. The engine continued the entire length of the rear car, "shattering it completely" and continued through half the length of the smoker, though itself was not derailed.〔 The force of the collision drove the local forward a distance of 800 feet.〔 A relief train arrived before 7 p.m. with 11 Louisville doctors and several surgeons,〔 but it was nearly midnight before the last of the mangled bodies was removed from the splintered wreckage; some were unrecognisable. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Shepherdsville train wreck」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|