The railroad derailment May 12, 2022 was not Mad River Twp.’s first “rodeo.” Local folks remember another big accident on Sept. 5, 1953 not far from the 2022 wreck.
The 1953 wreck involved two trains on their way from Cincinnati to Bellefontaine and resulted in the hospitalization of three railroad employees and treatment of two volunteer firefighters.
The Springfield Daily News reported the two freight trains both belonged to the New York Central System. The accident occurred at 3:30 a.m. when the 49 cars of the second section of the train crashed into the 114 cars of the first section.
“According to railroad officials, the crash occurred when the first section of the MC4 freight was waiting for the Erie Railroad freight to clear the tracks at Cold Springs,” the paper reported. “New York Central freight trains are regularly routed over Erie tracks west of Springfield back to NYC tracks north of the city to avoid their passing through Springfield.”
The locomotive of the second section totally destroyed the wooden caboose. The conductor of the first train had been in the caboose when the flagman warned him and he barely escaped the caboose just before the collision.
The second train’s engine then collided with approximately a dozen cars of the first section, tore up tracks and went into a field. It also took out telephone lines.
The middle portion of the three-unit Diesel caught fire, which spread to the fuel oil then on to two coal cars.
The Enon-Mad River Twp. Fire Department was assisted by the Donnelsville, Springfield Twp., West Side and Beatty departments. Box 27 Associates and West Side provided emergency medical aid.
Injured firefighters were Vernon Borstner of Donnelsville, who suffered a burned ankle, and John Leffer of Springfield, who had a flash burn on his face.
Amazingly, the tracks were cleared and repaired before evening that same day. Cleaning up the debris and destroyed cars and the gigantic Diesel engine took considerably longer.
Rapid repair of the tracks is something else that has not changed. After the recent wreck, trains were passing the derailed cars only a few hours after the accident.
Replacement of a section of the tracks by Norfolk Southern Corporation has been taking place over the last couple of weeks. However, the days of John Henry are evidently over, and no one is out there repairing the railroad with a sledge hammer.
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Credit: Marshall Gorby
Those new tracks arrived on the back of flatbed trucks as already prepared units that could be dropped into place. Segments were more than 50 feet long and already had the ties attached to the two rails.
I could not help but wonder what came first; Thomas the Tank engine’s sections of rails or the real life ones. It was truly amazing to see full-sized “toy” track building.
Finding out about the Sept. 5, 1953 accident was a true challenge.
Enon Community Historical Society member Marty Grewell Stover posted photos of the accident taken by her father, Glenwood Grewell. They are on file at the ECHS, but she didn’t have a date.
Another ECHS member, Gordon Goodfellow, told me about the wrecked cars being in his father’s cornfield. The accident, then all the equipment needed to fight the fire then clear wreckage out, plus all the spectators, pretty much finished off that crop.
The 1953 wreck only involved around a dozen cars, an engine and a caboose. There were five injuries and a fire. The 2022 derailment involved 27 cars with no injuries.
Local residents who have photos, clippings, or personal stories of the 1953 wreck can help the ECHS fill out a skinny file. Please contact ECHS at 937-864-7080 or email enonhistory@gmail.com
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