Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1893, May - Accidents on the Eganville subdivision

Eganville Enterprise 5 May 1893 THE A & NW Ry. IN HARD LUCK:  Two Smash-Ups in One Week.  The first accident to a passenger train on the Eganville Branch of the CPR took place yesterday (Monday.)  The noon train which consisted of the engine and tender, two flat cars loaded with the alligator tug, "Bonnechere No. 1." two freight cars, a baggage car and two passengers cars, had just passed the street leading to the bridge on its way to the station, when the wheels under the first freight car by some means became detached and coming against the wheels of the second freight car also detached them.  The engine with the flat cars and the body of the first freight car, after it became detached from the others, went on for some distance, the body of the car bumping along the ties and rails.  The second freight car and baggage car went off the track toward the embankment.  The passenger cars did not leave the rails.  The first freight car, which was loaded with buggies for Mr. R. Reeves received comparatively little damage from its rough usage.  The second freight car was badly smashed up and the baggage car was also considerably damaged.  Fortunately the second freight car and the baggage car went off the track toward the embankment in rear of Mr. T. G. Boland’s house.  Had they gone off towards the other side they would have gone down an embankment of twelve feet and might have dragged the passenger coaches after them.  Fortunately no one was injured. About nine o’clock on Thursday morning, the residents of the Plaunt section of Renfrew were startled by a report of cannon-like force.  Hasty inspection showed there had been an accident of some sort on the CPR line - a large flat-car standing high in the air.  It seems that the A. & N. - W. engine with a box-car attached was being shunted, and a line of flat-cars being obscured from the engineer’s view, he dashed his engine and car into them with considerable force.  The brakes were on the flats and the first car of the line was simply doubled up like cardboard, the large timbers being snapped in half; and the iron-work being bent in all directions.  The box-car was slightly damaged and the hind trucks forced off the rails.  The damaged flat overhung the CPR main line, but was quickly pulled away from its dangerous position. Almonte Gazette 12 May 1893 The Eganville branch of the C.P.R. had two accidents last week. On Monday the passenger train got into trouble through a car getting loose, and there was a general smash-up. On Thursday a shunting engine with box car attached ran into some flat cars.

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Updated 19 May 2023