Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1914, February 21 - GTR Passenger train derails at South Indian (Limoges) - no serious injuries

Kemptville Weekly Advance 26 February 1914 Express Derailed at South Indian Engineerjs [sic] Presence of Mind Probably Averts a Serious Accident The Gand Trunk train due at Ottawa at 7.13 on Saturday evening from Montreal, jumped the track about four miles east of South Indian, Ont., or about 30 miles east of Ottawa, at 6.45., but none of the 40 passengers or any of the train crew received anything worse than a slight shaking up. The spreading of a rail is said to be the cause of the accident. That serious consequences did not result was largely due, say several of the passengers, to the presence of mind of the engineer, J. Kickley, of Montreal. Though the train was making about 40 miles an hour at the time she left the tracks at Pilon Siding, he shut off the steam and applied the brakes on the whole train so quickly and carefully that he prevented the coaches from turning over. All the the four passenger coaches, the baggage car and the tender left the tracks, the engine alone remaining on. The middle coach was tilted at an angle of about 60 degrees, and there were fears that it would turn over before all the passengers were go to out to safety. Fortunately, this did not happen, and it was quickly propped to prevent it falling over on its side. The passengers were taken to a farmhouse which was quite near the scene of the accident and made comfortable until the arrival of the special train from Ottawa three hours later. The train was in charge of conductor Andrew Leamy, of 128 Hinton Avenue, Ottawa. PASSENGER'S STORY W. J. McLeod, Owen Sound, who with George Godreau, of 314 Notre Dame Street, Montreal, was sitting in the smoking compartment of the middle coach when he noticed the whole train begin to lurch. "I began to fear that something was wrong," said Mr McLeod. "After I noticed the train lurching the car in which I was began to bump, and Mr. Godreau said :'It is a wreck, brace yourself.' A moment later the train shots to one side and suddenly stopped. Mr Goudreau and I got up and rushed into the main part of the coach, and found some of the ladies in a freightened [sic] condition but not a single person was hurt. "When we got out we found the whole train, with the exception of the engine, had left the track. Everybody realized that the engineer must have shown great presence of mind and been extraordinarily careful to stop the train without turning the coaches over. I noticed that the car in which I was ridiing was tilted over to an angle of about 68 [sic] degrees. All the passengers, none of whom were hurt in any way, were taken to a farmhouse quite near the scene, and we stayed there until a special train came from Ottawa, where we arrived about 11 o'clock. About half the passengers were women. Other passengers on the train gave a similar account of the accident. The accident delayed all traffic on the Montreal-Ottawa line for about three hours. Chesterville Record February 26 1914.  The Grand Trunk Railway passenger train in Ottawa at 7.13 p.m. Saturday jumped the track about four miles south of Indian, thirty miles east of the capital at 6.45 p.m. but not one of the forty passengers and members of the crew were injured beyond a slight shaking up.  The spreading of a rail is said to have been the cause of the accident. All the four passenger coaches, baggage car and tender left the rails, the engine being the only remaining part of the train remaining on.  Passengers state that the presence of mind of J. Kickley of Montreal, is responsible for the preventing of a disaster as he was able to stop his train in a short distance and prevent the coaches overturning. Eastern Ontario Review (Vankleek Hill)  27 February 1914 Accident at South Indian A spreading rail was almost the cause of a fatal wreck, when the G.T.R. train due in Ottawa at 7.13 on Saturday night was thrown off the track 30 miles east of Ottawa, near South Indian, at 6.45. Through several of the passengers were severely shaken up, and others showed more or less effects from the shock, no one was seriously injured. Many of the passengers give credit to the engineer, J. Kickby, of Montreal for his quick work in applying the brakes and bringing the train to a stop, thus preventing a much more serious accident. It was at a place called Pilons Siding that the train which was whirling along at 40 miles an hour, hit the spread rail, and a portion jumped the track. Several of the cars tilted over ominously, and it was feared that the whole train would over turn before the passengers could be rescued. Ties along the track were used in propping up the cars, The forty-odd passengers who were on the train were brought to a near-by farmhouse, where they were cared for till the arrival of a special train from Ottawa, three hours later. The four coaches and baggage car left the track, the engine being the only part left clinging to the rails. Conductor Andrew Leamy, 128, Hinton Avenue, Ottawa, was in charge of the train. NB.  The BRC report shows one death.

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Updated 5 February 2022