Re: (erielack) Last Erie Passenger Train Derailment?

[tonyhorn1_@_comcast.net]

It would be neat if you could post the pictures. 


Tony 

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim McCormack" <JMcCormack_@_erie-lackawanna.com> 
To: Erielack_@_lists.railfan.net 
Sent: Monday, October 8, 2012 7:50:53 PM 
Subject: Re: (erielack) Last Erie Passenger Train Derailment? 

A few weeks back someone asked about the derailment of No. 7 near Port Jervis on September 21, 1960. I had been on vacation and didn't get caught up until now. I have some information about that derailment. 

James McCormack, engineer of the derailed train, was my grandfather. I have a number of documents from his files, including a letter from the Erie (-Lackawanna by then) absolving him of responsibility for the accident. It was determined that excessive speed was not the cause as had been initially believed. I believe the final determination was that it was caused by poor track conditions. 

My grandfather's time ledger shows that he went on duty at 11:00 PM on 20 Sept 1960, but no off-duty time is noted. I know he went off duty at St. Francis Hospital in Port Jervis, and he spent several weeks there. 

Engines 823 and 822 led the train. They were later rebuilt, but from the photographs I have of the wreck it's hard to imagine they would ever run again. 

I've searched the internet for information related to the derailment and found little more than a brief article in the NY Times archive, which gives almost the same information as given by the Buffalo Evening News. The ICC Accident Report archive at USDOT does not contain a report on this accident. 

Jim McCormack 


On 9/18/2012 9:26 PM, Michael Connor wrote: 
> 
> IIRC there was a recent posting about Erie trains detouring over the DL&W prior to merger time. I was looking at a scrapbook (remember them) I assembled many, many years ago and found the following article, probably from the Buffalo Evening News, pasted in. This may explain some strange pre-merger sitings:"PASSENGER TRAIN DERAILED, 4 HURTPort Jervis, N.Y. Sept 21 [1960] AP -- The Erie Railroad's "Pacific Express" heading for Chicago with 15 passengers aboard, leaped the rails today on a sharp curve east of here. Three crewmen and one passenger were injured. Thirteen of the train's 14 cars were derailed. Some freight and mail cars overturned, but the two passenger coaches and one sleeper car remained upright. The wreck tore up 800 feet of the Erie's double-track right-of-way. One passenger said he was awakened by the rocking of ccars and the next thing he heard was that there had been a wreck. The injured included Engineer James McCormack, 62,of Hawtho! 
rn! 
> e, N.J. The other three were residents of Port Jervis." September 21, 1960, was a Wednesday so this was Train #7 leaving Hoboken at 12:45 AM and due at Port Jervis at 245 AM running via the Bergen Cut-off. This may have been the last passenger train derailment on the Erie Railroad.Hope this is of some interest to listers.MJC 
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