Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1909, September 19 - Express Crashes into a standing freight at Perth, CPR, Belleville sub., no injuries.

Ottawa Citizen  20 September 1909 Pitch In At Perth. (Special to Tke Evening Citizen.) Perth, Ont., Sep 19 There was a wreck on the C. P. R. here this afternoon at 3 o'clock. Just as the passenger train going east was pulling into the depot there was a freight train standing on the main line. The express train crashed into the van demolishing it and two other cars. There was no one killed or injured. Another train was made up and the passengers transferred. A crew of men was busy until a late hour tonight clearing away the wreckage Merrickville Star-Chronicle 23 September 1909 WRECK AT PERTH Express Crashes Into a Standing Freight There was a bad smash up on the C. P. R. at Perth station Sunday but fortunately no one was injured. A freight was standing on the main line when the east bound afternoon express from Toronto to Montreal came speeding along on the same track and a collision was inevitable. The express was so close in before it was noticed that it could not be flagged and after the freigh [sic] was sighted by the express there was not time to stop. The brakes were applied on the express some what slowed down but it went into the rear end of the freight with a fearful crash. The engineer and firemen after doing all they could to stop their train jumped and escaped injury. The van and several cars of the freight, including a big refrigerator car were badly smashed but the damage after all was comparatively light and no one was injured. It is said the accident was caused by a coupling of the freight train breaking when the train started to pull out from Perth station . While they were hurrying in another coupling the express came along and crashed into it. Word was sent to Smiths Palls and another train was made up here and sent to take the passengers on to Montreal. .

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Updated 10 January 2022