Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1954, May11 - Crossing Accident at Echo Drive, Ottawa, no injuries

From the Ottawa Citizen  11 May 1954 1930 Auto and Massive CNR Train BreakAbout Even In Their Tusstle By Ben Dworkin Citizen Staff Writer A 1930 vintage coupe and a crack CNR trans-continental flyer had it out at a city railway crossing early this morning and broke almost even in the tussle. However, after they had been pulled apart it was agreed that the train did come out slightly on top as a result of the argument. The 14-coach train "was only backing up slowly at the time. The scene was the CNR Echo Drive crossing, near Hawthorne Avenue. The time shortly after midnight. Morris Lepage, 18, of 397 Gloucester Street, was at the wheel ct the early-model automobile. At the throttle of locomotive No. 6074 pushing the train was Engineer Albert Bates. Pushed Coupe 95 Feet Catching the right rear corner of the auto, the train pushed it a distance of 95 feet along the rails, and then threw it onto the shoulder of the railway right-of-way. Total damage to the car was a broken rear wheel. Driver Lepage suffered nary a scratch. When Engineer Bates climbed down from his locomotive and examined the damage to his train, he found (upon very close scrutiny) that the train was slightly the worse for a few scratches and scrapings where it had come into contact with the car. All he suffered personally were hurt feelings. What Police Say Here is what police say happened. Lepage, the holder of only a temporary driving permit was alone in the car travelling south on Echo Drive when the motor stalled. He had borrowed the car from a friend for the evening in return for the use of his motor cycle. Along came a friend-in-need, Fred Ducharme, 17, of 301 Wilbrod Street, and agreed to give him a shove with his car. Both drivers apparently failed to notice the CNR signalman at the crossing waving his red lantern to warn motorists of the approaching train. The engine with its 14 coaches was backing along in a leisurely manner toward the CNR switches at the Bank Street yard. Speaking to The Citizen later the 18-year-old auto driver said he did not know just what did happen. "I was being pushed normally along Echo Drive by my friend. The next thing I knew I was being pushed sideways by the train. The car just skidded along the rails. "When I got out I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. I didn't even have time to think about getting hurt at the time, ' he said. "Cost 60 Bucks' " What about the damage?" he was asked. "Can't say," he replied. "The car only cost about 60 bucks, so I guess a wheel can't be very cxpensivs." Officially Cpl. Alvln Meredith and Const. Prospere Bruyere were in charge of investigating the freak accident But before the car was cleared away from the crossing policemen in prowl cars who could find an excuse to pass along the way, visited the scene to see for themselves  - otherwise they wouldn't believe it could have happened that way.

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Updated 8 May 2019