Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1927, August 1 - passenger train side swipes a freight at Vars, CNR Alexandria sub.




Picture thanks to Phil Jago

Ottawa Citizen 1 August 1927 PASSENGER TRAIN SIDESWIPES FREIGHT AT VARS Crash into coal car throws huge engine off line Engineer P. Lalonde of Montreal slightly injured at Vars station this morning in jump to save himself. Saw crash was coming after rounding curve Passengers on well-filled C.N.R. train escape with severe shaking up. A wreck, fortunately unattended with serious injury to passengers or  either of the train crews, occurred at Vars station, about six  o'clock this morning, when the Montreal bound train No. 2, which left  this city at 5.25, sideswiped a freight train bound from the  Metropolis to Ottawa, the engine being derailed, and the engineer,  Mr. P. Lalonde, of Montreal, was slightly injured. The freight was pulling into the siding at Vars station, and six of  its long string of cars were still on the main line when the Ottawa  passenger train bore down on it, and with a crash the engine hurtled  into a big gondola coal car, climbed it and was derailed. The baggage coach and passenger coaches remained on the track. Engineer P. Lalonde of Montreal, at the throttle, saw that a  collision was impending--he rounded the curve at that point--and  after applying the emergency jumped with his fireman. Engineer Lalonde in jumping landed heavily, striking his head on a  rail, and cutting it badly. He received medical attention and was  brought back to Ottawa with the passengers, reaching here at 9.20.   His fireman, Mr. W. Little, also of Montreal, sustained a few  bruises, and the passengers in the train, which was well filled,  beyond a bad fright and a severe shaking up escaped unscathed. (Continued on Page 2, Col. 2) Page 2. CRASH INTO COAL CAR THROWS HUGE ENGINE OFF LINE (Continued from Page One) Trains Re-routed Trains en-route to Montreal this morning following the accident were  re-routed via Rockland and No. 47 from New York and Montreal is held  up at the Montreal end of the wreck, the debris from which a wrecking  crew and apparatus from Montreal is now engaged in removing. It is expected by C.N.R. officials that the line will be open again some time this afternoon. Due To Heavy Fog While there is no official statement at present owing to the fact  that the wreck occurred on the Montreal division, it is stated that  the accident was due to a heavy fog which prevailed early this  morning, and the engineer of the freight train failing to get his  train clear of the main line. Fortunately, Engineer Lalonde was in time to see the freight cars on  the track ahead of him, a sufficient distance away to permit of his applying the emergency brakes before he and his fireman jumped, and the momentum of the train, which had been travelling at a moderate speed, owing to the fog, was considerably lessened when the crash came. Immediately, the big locomotive struck the gondola of the freight train into which it climbed and was derailed, two other freight cars were thrown over on their sides, and in the passenger train frightened passengers ran hurriedly for the doors. Passengers Calmed. The train crew, with porters, two of whom were thrown heavily on their faces at the impact, but escaped with bruises, assisted in calming the passengers, two or three of whom received severe bruises, when thrown forward by the shock, and one lady, a resident of Montreal, name unknown, collapsed, but recovered later. The only other person injured as far as can be learned was Mr. A.P. Maloney, conductor of the freight train, who was thrown through the glass in his van, and was cut about the hands, as he shot them out to protect himself. It is stated unofficially that when the accident occurred, the engineer of the freight train, which had also been delayed by the fog, was in the act of drawing his train into the siding when it was struck by the oncoming passenger engine. Ottawa Journal 1 August 1927 C.N. passenger train smashes into a freight Engineer and fireman injured by jumping before crash at the house. Ottawa-Montreal train sideswipes the other Montreal August 1 - railway authorities are conducting an investigation into the wreck at Vars this morning when the fast passenger train, No. 2,, sideswiped a freight train. P. Lalande, engineer, and W. Little, the firemen of the fast Canadian National Ottawa - Montreal train, which left the capital this morning at 5:25, standard time, were forced to jump when their engine crashed into the side of an Ottawa bound freight train at Vars this morning shortly before 6 o'clock Heavy fog is believed to have prevented the passenger train crew, both Montreal men, from observing that the Ottawa bound freight, which was pulling onto a siding, had not cleared. Caused Bad Smash. Brakes were jammed on quickly as the engineer saw the freight looming up in front of him, but not until the passenger train had sideswiped the freight, about seven cars from the engine, crashing the side of two, and throwing one off the track, while several other cars of the freight telescoped. The baggage and express car of the fast train was thrown off the track but remained standing. Passengers although feeling the impact suffered no injuries and were quickly returned to Ottawa. A wrecking train left Ottawa for the scene, 17 miles away shortly after the occurrence but C.N.R. officials here were unable to furnish information about the wreck, referring all enquiries to Montreal. Montreal reported that "there were positively no passengers injured."  Local authorities stated they were unable to furnish the names of the fireman or engineer. Dr. J.F. Stoness, of Vars, however, told The Journal that he had treated both men, but that neither had suffered anything more serious than a few cuts and slight injuries received when the engineer struck his head against a rail and the fireman somersaulted two or three times as the two jumped. The freight train was bound for Ottawa and had just turned onto the siding at Vars from the main line to allow the morning fast train to speed by to Montreal. The engine and about six freight cars had succeeded in making the siding when the engine of the passenger train crashed into a coal car, smashing the side of it and the front of the engine and practically lifting the engine on to the car. Rails about the switch were torn up and traffic on this line was badly demoralized for the greater part of the day, although at the time of going to press crews were reported working to clear the line. In the meantime passengers are being rerouted. According to the information from Vars passengers on the early morning trains were transferred at Vars as the Montreal and Ottawa trains pulled up as closely as possible to the scene of the wreck. Ottawa Citizen 2 August 1927 LINE WAS CLEAR FOR AFTERNOON TRAFFIC The wreckage following yesterday mornings collision al Vars station. when the engine pulling C.N.R. train No. 2 bound to Montreal from Ottawa, sideswiped a freight train which was pulling on to a siding, was cleared away yesterday afternoon so that the line was again open for the late afternoon traffic. The train which pulled out from Union station at 5 p.m. got through on time, and the evening train from Montreal reached here on time at 7.30 o'clock. Engineer P. Lalonde, of Montreal who was at the throttle on the passengcr train, saw that a collision was unavoidable when he noticed that all the freight train was not clear of the main line, applied the emergency brakes and jumped along with his fireman, W. Little, also of Montreal. Engineer Lalonde struck his head against a rail cutting it badly. Conductor A. P. Maloney of tlie freight crew was cut about the hands when he was thrown through the glass of his van. The train crew, with porters, two of whom were thrown heavily on their faces at the impact, but escaped with bruises, assisted in calming the passengers, two or three of whom received severe bruises, when thrown forward by the shock, and one lady, a resident of Montreal, name unknown, collapsed, but recovered later. The freight was pulling into the siding at Vars station, and six of its long string of cars were still on the main line when the Ottawa passenger train bore down on it, and with a crash the engine hurtled into a big gondola coal car, climbed it and was derailed. The baggage coach and passenger coaches remained on the track.

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Updated 1 December 2020