(erielack) Re: EL List Daily V3 #1748

[DAWest1701_@_aol.com]

In a message dated 8/20/2005 5:33:57 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
erielack-owner_@_lists.elhts.org writes:

Conrail  Fair Lawn through 1982...do you have any firsthand experiences
relating to  the Zerega Bros/ NJDOT wreck that year?


 
I was there that night. By the time I got there the police had the sight  
under control, and I think all the passengers were gone. The cab car penetrated  
the building about half the length of the car. If I remember correctly, the 
next  two cars "accordioned", and the rest of the set was stretched out back 
towards  the main. The train made it through the switch, though the switch was  
pushed out of line by about 6". It traveled down the sidetrack until the  
sidetrack turned to parallel the building where, instead of staying on the  siding, 
it kept on moving straight. I guess the track in the siding wasn't  strong 
enough to turn the train. I don't know if it would have made any  difference to 
the engineer as there was a car on the siding, and he would have  hit that 
instead. 
 
There wasn't much for us to do in regards to fixing the track as there  
wasn't much track damage. The switch was relatively new, and was pushed back  into 
line relatively easily. Hulchers was called in, and they rerailed through  the 
night and the next day. That was pretty easy, too; as they just walked the  
engine and cars to the point where the sidetrack was intact and set them back  
on. The cab car was a little different. The Bridge & Building Dept. had to  
set up temporary supports so the roof wouldn't collapse when it was pulled  out.
 
I do remember hearing that the "perpetrators" tried it the night before,  but 
the train stopped at the block signal and proceeded on a restricted signal.  
They saw the misaligned switch, lined it correctly, and went on their way. It  
being a different era, no one got too excited about it. I don't know if it 
was  the same crew or not.
 
The next night they tried again. And this time they waited until the train  
had passed the signal before throwing the switch. I vaguely recall seeing the  
broken switch lock lying at the switch stand. This was before the move to the  
Sargent & Greenleaf security switch locks you see today. The  "perpetrators" 
got off with a tap (I wouldn't even call it a slap) on  the wrist.
 
I hope that this is what you were looking for, but the memories are a  little 
cloudy after 23 years!
 
Dave West



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