IN RE INVESTIGATION OF AN ACCOUNT WHICH OCCURRED ON THE LEHIGH VALLEY
| RAILROAD, NEAR VAN ETTEN JUNCTION, N.Y., ON MAY 31, 1920. |
| July 15, 1920. |
| on the morning of May 31, 1920. there was a derailment of a freight train, and a aide collision |
| between a passenger train on an adjoining track and the derailed freight train, on the Lehigh Valley |
| Railroad near Van Etten Junction, N. Y., which resulted in the death of 1 passenger and 2 employees, and |
| the injury of 38 passengers. After Investigation of this accident the Chief of the Bureau of Safety |
| reports as follows: |
| This accident occurred on the Ithaca, Branch of the Seneoa Division, a single-track line |
| extending between Van Etten Junction and Geneva Junction, N. Y., a distance of 59.5 miles. Trains are |
| operated by time-table, train orders, and an automatic block signal system. The accident occurred about |
| 3,120 feet west of Van Etten tower. Approaching the point of accident from the west, the grade in slightly |
| ascending; the track is tangent for about one-half mile, followed by a 2-degree curve to the left |
| approximately 400 feet in length. The accident occurred near the east end of this curve. At the time of the |
| accident the weather was clear. |
| The freight train was made up in Van Etten yard on a track known as Swamp Siding, which parallels |
| the Ithaca Branch main track. This track is tangent for nearly Its entire length, approximately 2,200 feet. |
| At the west end of this aiding there is a switch which diverts trains toward the Ithaca Branch when set to |
| lead to the left, and to the Elmira and Cortland Branch, Auburn Division, when act to load to the right; |
| it was act In the latter position at the time of the accident. At a point 15.4 feet east of this switch |
| there is a switch leading to the Van Etten yard tracks at which the derailment occurred. |
| Westbound freight train extra 1155, on route from M Etten to Cortland, N.Y., consisted of engines |
| 1156 and 1162, 54 care and a caboose, in charge of Conductor k and Enginemen Hutchinson and Shev1in; this |
| train started to pull out of Swamp siding between 12:15 a. m. and 12:20 a.m., and had proceeded about 12 car |
| lengths attaining a speed of 4 or 5 miles an hour, when the rear brake beam of front tender truck of engine |
| 1155 came down and the hanger became wedged between the guard rail and stock rail, just east of switch |
| leading to the Van Etten Yard tracks. The wheels of the rear tender truck of engine 1155 a engine truck and |
| driving wheels of engine 1162 ware derailed as they passed over the brake hanger, so that when the wheels on |
| right side of the tender and engine came into contact with the transfer rail of the yard switch the rear end |
| of the tender of engine 1155 and the front and of engine 1162 were thrown over the left, projecting out far |
| enough to obstruct the main track of the Ithaca Branch, at a point 336 test east of automatic at signal |
| I-2872. |
| Eastbound passenger train No. 6, on route from Buffalo, N. Y., to New York, N. Y., consisted of |
| 3 coaches, 1 club oar, and 4 Pullman sleeping cars in the order named, hauled by engine 2059, with Conductor |
| Arner and Engineman Laux In charge. This train left Ithaca, the last open telegraph office, at 11.45 p.m., |
| on time, and at about 12.16 a. m., while running at a speed estimated to have been 50 miles an hour, collided |
| with the derailed portion of extra 1155. |
| Train No. 6 struck the cistern of the tender of engine 1155 about 5 foot from the rear end, the |
| engine, the first four cars, and the front trucks of the fifth car being derailed and diverted toward the |
| right or south side of the track. Engine 2069 remained on the ties for a distance of 150 feet after being |
| derailed and then began to leave the track and- ran about 200 feet before it came to rest on its right side |
| clear of the right of way. The tender swung around at right angles to the boiler and came to rest against |
| the boiler head. The smoking car followed the engine and came to rest with the front end buried nearly to |
| the root in the muck land, while the rear end rested upon the track in an upright position. The second coach |
| came to root with the front end resting on the track near the first coach and the rear and was swung towards |
| the swamp, forming a ”V” with the first coach; the forward end of the second coach also struck the fifth car |
| from the head end of extra 1165. The third coach came to rest with the forward end in the swamp and the rear |
| end resting on the track. The fourth car remained upright on the track. The engineman and fireman of train |
| No. 6 were killed. |
| Shortly after starting Extra 1155, Engineman Hutchinson’s attention was called to the fact that |
| the tender was derailed by his fireman and the head brakeman, and also by the engineman of engine 1162 |
| calling for brakes. He immediately applied the brakes in emergency; he then looked back and noticed engine |
| 1162 was leaning over. At about the same time train No. 6 struck his train, which was practically stopped at |
| the time of the collision. |
| Fireman Reeves, of engine 1155. jumped off the engine as soon as he had called to the engineman |
| that the tender was derailed, but train No. 6 was too close to be flagged. before the collision occurred. |
| Engineman Shevlin of engine 1162, felt his engine riding on the ties, applied the straight air |
| brake, sounded the whistle signal for brakes, called to his fireman and. then jumped off; he thought train |
| No. 6 collided with his train before he jumped. |
| From the evidence and an examination of the various parts of the brake rigging found after the |
| derailment, it is believed a pin came out of the top end of the left hanger for the rear brake bear of the |
| forward tender truck of engine 1155, allowing the hanger to fall down and become wedged between the guard |
| rail and stock rail of the switch leading from Van Etten yard to Swamp Siding. While the construction of |
| the tender truck affords a view of the brake hanger pins, keys, and lugs, which are cast, on the under side |
| of the bolster, they are located back of the side frames of the truck, so It would be an easy matter to |
| overlook a missing key, especially at night, or in making a hurried inspection of the equipment. This |
| derailment occurred at the time train No. 6 was approaching the point of accident. and there was no |
| opportunity for either train crew to take any action to prevent train No. 6 from striking the derailed |
| engines. |
| This accident was caused by fallen brake rigging becoming wedged in a guard rail, resulting in the |
| derailment of the freight train, and a passenger train on an adjoining parallel track colliding with the |
| derailed engines and oars of the freight train. |
| All of the employees involved in this accident were men of experience, with good records, and none of them |
| was on duty in violation of the hours of service law. |