by shlustig
On the line from Jeffersonville to Goshen, Rushville had the NKP, NYC, PRR, and B&O in town. The NYC had trackage rights for less than a mile over the NKP on which it crossed both the PRR and the B&O.
The NKP / PRR xg was not interlocked and featured stop signs. At about 11:40PM, PRR X9142 North (1 unit, caboose, and 8 cars) stopped as required, pulled onto the xg, and stopped at the nearby PRR station to do switching with the train blocking the xg.
At this time, NYC #78 (northbound, units 1811-1810, 62 cars, caboose) approached Rushville at about 35 mph with the fireman -- not a qualified engineer -- running the train. The braking distance on the downgrade into Rushville was misjudged and #78 t-boned the PRR train at 18 mph. The Engr., Fireman, and Head Brakeman all jumped before impact and were slightly injured.
The odd twist to all of this is that the average number of trains on the NKP and PRR trackage was less than 2 per day each.
The NKP / PRR xg was not interlocked and featured stop signs. At about 11:40PM, PRR X9142 North (1 unit, caboose, and 8 cars) stopped as required, pulled onto the xg, and stopped at the nearby PRR station to do switching with the train blocking the xg.
At this time, NYC #78 (northbound, units 1811-1810, 62 cars, caboose) approached Rushville at about 35 mph with the fireman -- not a qualified engineer -- running the train. The braking distance on the downgrade into Rushville was misjudged and #78 t-boned the PRR train at 18 mph. The Engr., Fireman, and Head Brakeman all jumped before impact and were slightly injured.
The odd twist to all of this is that the average number of trains on the NKP and PRR trackage was less than 2 per day each.