NYC&HR@Batavia 2/18/1885-Accident-pic

I was in the Fredonia College library the other day and just randomly pulled a book off the shelf and scanned the pages:


Books title:

You might reach more people by reposting on New York Central under Fallen Flags. I certainly hope someone knows the story.

I found a Feb 19 1885 NY Times article. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesm ... =true&ip=0 Not sure if it is public access.
Paraphrasing, at 8:00 AM on Feb. 18, a snowplow and 2 engines were sent to rescue a 3-engine passenger train that was stuck in a snowdrift on the Canandaigua Branch 3 miles from Batavia Station (which I assume means east of Batavia on the Peanut line) The rescuers didn't exactly know where the passenger train was and were going too fast on a straightaway and ran into it. The plow went under the 1st two passenger engines. One engine ended up on top of the locomotive pushing the plow (presumably the picture that was posted). A second passenger locomotive ended up on top of the plow. Amazingly, there were only 2 minor injuries.
Here's a link to the picture at the Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/99401037/

Probably there would be more in a Batavia (or Buffalo?) newspaper, if anyone can dig that up.

All the details are on the front page of the Batavia Daily News (evening paper), Feb 18 and Feb 19.
https://newspaperarchive.com/batavia-da ... -1885-p-1/
https://newspaperarchive.com/batavia-da ... -1885-p-1/
Again, I don't know if these links are accessible to the public.

Apparently, for some unknown reason the rescuers thought the stuck train, which had derailed a pair of trucks under one car while trying to get through a drift the day before the wreck, was near the Batavia-Stafford town line border, but it was actually a mile west of there, which would place it just west of the current county fairgrounds. The (only 4) passengers on the stuck train had already left it the day before the wreck, walking to Batavia.

Thanks for that research. Greatly appreciated. I loved the advertisements for coal and then compare that with today’s environment and attitude about coal.

SST wrote: ↑Sat Nov 27, 2021 8:37 am Thanks for that research. Greatly appreciated. I loved the advertisements for coal and then compare that with today’s environment and attitude about coal.

I just noticed the headline on the articles is "Wreck on the Peanut". So the nickname "Peanut" for the line was in general use back in 1885 already.

I guess it wasn't a rotary plow. Must've been a wedge plow. Lol