Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1938, May 9 - Passenger train hits handcar, Preston Street, CNR Renfrew sub., no injuries

Ottawa Citizen 9 May 1938 First Train East Following Wreck Smashes Handcar. Four Members of C.N.R. Section Crew Jump For Lives Just Before Collision. No One Hurt. The old adage that troubles never come singly is being accepted as a truth by officials of the Canadian National Railways in the Ottawa district today. Following yesterday's wreck near Norway Bay C.N.R. trains were re-routed by way of Golden Lake and Pembroke Junction and No. 2 from Winnipeg, the first east-bound passenger train due in Ottawa since the wreck, collided with a section gang's handcar just west of the C.N.R. Preston street subway at 8.05 this morning. No one was injured but the handcar was practically a total wreck. R. McDonald, section foreman on the Renfrew section operating from Ottawa, and his crew of three men. jumped down the embankment when they saw the train approaching. The Winnipeg train is due tn Ottawa at 8 15 o'clock. E S.T., or 7 15 Daylight Saving Time. Re-routing the train, due to the wreck, however, made a change of exactly one hour In the train's time of arrival in Ottawa. The section gang evidently did not know of the changed time and. secure in the belief that No. 2 had passed, started out to their work from the tool house at Booth street. Just as the handcar reached the Preston street subway, the train loomed up ahead. Engineer George Reynolds. 298 Somerset street east, who brought the train in from Pembroke, gave a warning blast on the engine's whistle and applied the brakes. The train met the handcar about 100 feet west of the subway and the impact threw the lighter vehicle from the tracks and down the southern embankment. The men had jumped just as the handcar reached the end of the subway and escaped unhurt. The accident occurred at 8 05 o'clock and although the train pulled to a jtop until it was learned that nn one was hurt, it reached the city exactly on time. Conductor J, Fonllis, of Capreol was the conductor in charge. CNR. officials were not table [sic] to give the names of the crew of the section gang, which proceeded to work immediately after the crash. R. McDonald is the forrman of the crew. His report of the accic=dent has not reached the division headquarters and until it does the names of his crew will not be known

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Updated 1 June 2021