On-site Walk to remember the deadly 1921 Train Crash in Bryn Athyn, PA

Larry Eastwood talked about the train crash. I took this photo when The Barn was halfway full. Every seat was taken. What a popular topic!

Larry provided us with this facsimile of the Accident Report.

Here's the original document

Click to enlarge.

Since retiring as Assistant Manager of the Huntingdon Valley post office, Larry has continued his research into the famous crash of '21 and given lots of talks.

This talk was excellent and many of us enjoyed the RIGOROUS walking tour on the tracks. My legs are still a little sore today, but I was so proud of myself for my endurance. I had back surgery in August of 2011 from Dr. Guy Lee of Abington Memorial Hospital.

Read my article about it here.  One of the attendees on our train walk had back surgery at Holy Redeemer Hospital that didn't work. But he made a valiant effort and went on the walk with us.


Photo from the Intelligencer from an original photo at the time

Details about the crash:

DEAD - 27 dead, including 20 passengers and 7 employees

INJURED - 70

Sketch of train stations along the Reading Railway line, including accident site.

WHERE: Philadelphia and Reading Railway near Woodmont, PA, said the official report

TIME: Monday morning around 8 am - the morning commute to Philadelphia and other cities.

INVOLVED WERE:

The WESTBOUND train from Newtown on the way to Philadelphia - 5 cars

The EASTBOUND train from Philadelphia to Newtown

The trains were made mostly of WOOD, which, of course, burned like tinder. 

There was a single track. To avoid collisions, a train would pull over onto the siding and wait until the all-clear signal. Communication back then was via signal lights or a flagman.

Station agent Clayton at the Bryn Athyn Railroad Station (today it's just the post office) ....



wrote out a message for the engineer and crew members of the EASTBOUND train.

From the official report, which was completed in the amazingly short time of 17 days:

Conductor Evans, [of the Eastbound train] said that upon arrival at Bryn Athyn he went to the telegraph office and signed and received Train Order No. 11.

After receiving the order, Conductor Evans walked to the engine and gave the order to the enginemen. NEITHER OF THEM bothered to read it b/c they thought it was simply a routine report.

Evans' train - the Eastbound - then pulled out and backed in on the siding. After train 154 had departed, the switch was opened , the train pulled out of the siding and proceeded without a clearance card or other permission from the operator at Bryn Athyn, although the block signal was in STOP position, according to the official report.

Station agent Clayton knew that shortly there would be a head-on collision. He got on the phone and called the fire department and Abington Memorial Hospital, which was much smaller in 1921.

The location of the crash was around a bend so that neither one saw the other coming.

CRASH!

The explosion was heard for miles around, said Larry, and traumatized the surrounding communities. In those days, everyone knew each other.

 Photos of the crash were spread out on tables in the Barn at Pennypack Trust.

Another crash in the same spot was in 1964.

The track was closed down for good in 1983.

At the scene.

Where would the firemen get the water?

They pumped it from the Pennypack Creek to the left.

The steam locomotive was a camelback style. Read about it on Wiki.

A charred piece of the rail was unearthed when firemen responded to the 1964 crash.

Larry said it began deteriorating as soon as it was dug out, so he had it encased in plastic.

We passed it around the room. Careful, he said, it's heavy. Twas!

The railroad, which was now hated by the community, buried some of the dead at a church in Churchville.

Recognizable names from the community include Shelmire - Leedom - Sinkler - Rhoads and Slack.

Okay, ready to go for a walk? Bundle up.

A-marching we will go.

 Now we're on Huntingdon Road.

 This is known as Pearson's Corner b/c of the artistic Pearson family who lived there. And still do. Here's a painting by the artist who bought up all the land

Frank Thurman Pearson painted this. His work is in the permanent collection of the Woodmere Art Museum in Chestnut Hill. See the catalog entry here.

Larry and Rich were our tour guides. They said a nearby house was for sale b/c the woman had just died.

I met her once on one of these walks. Believe her name was Doris. Her husband was killed the prior year by a drunk driver on the Schoolkill Expressway. She wasn't terribly old and she was a wonderful woman who had housed doctors (?) from Doctors without Borders. Or something like that.

Goats!

One guy in our group must live here and went in to give hay to the goats. Two of them were pooping and two young girls got a real kick out of it, as did this big old girl!

Talked to Joe for awhile. He retired at 55. He was a carpenter and speaking of trains, he and his crew built a number of train stations.

Rocky terrain. I found it really hard to walk and keep my balance.

Site of the train crash.

When the tracks were originally laid down, they dynamited through the rocks, as you can see.

In the red jacket is Jack Houriet from the Upper Moreland Historical Association.

I just couldn't get over that these are the same tracks and timbers as from 1921.

The reason I took this shot was b/c the woman was a doppelganger of my sister Amy, who's visiting us now from Eugene, Oregon.

I taught my granddaughter the meaning of moss. She just called me, she's 3, and said, "Bubby, we'll all get together tomorrow b/c there's too much snow today."

I liked how this little rivulet formed itself seemingly out of nowhere. Similar to how the universe began.

Nothing more beautiful than the Pennypack Creek.

Stone wall with bits of green still growing underneath. We DO like green in the wintertime.

I'd never noticed this springhouse before.

I believe this house, along the Pennypack Trail, is part of one of the branches of the Swedenborgian church. There was Raymond, Theo and Harold Pitcairn.

We've already got a couple of inches of snow today, just like on Monday, Dec. 5, 1921.

The last of the train crash survivors died last year.