Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1956, February 17- Crossing Accidents on the CPR Carleton Place sub., no injuries

From the Ottawa Citizen 17 February 1956 Two Escape In Crashes At City Level Crossings An Ottawa driver miraculously escaped serious injury and a city employe operating a grader was slightly hurt in two level crossing accidents in the city. Frederick W. Heard, 42, of 130 Bayswater Avenue, was taken to Civic Hospital after his light English station wagon was completely demolished by the CPR's crack Transcontinental flyer, the "Canadian", this morning. He suffered only shock and a minor cut over his left eye and was released almost Immediately. Grader operator Joseph Emile Forget, 584 Lisgar Street, was also treated at Civic Hospital after his machine tangled with a CPR locomotive at the Gladstone Avenue level crossing last night. He complained of pain in his left arm. In this morning's spectacular crash, the rear of Mr. Heard's 1953 Hillman was torn to shreds. The accident occurrcd at the Churchill Avenue-Scott Street crossing shortly after 7 a.m. He was taken to Civic by Constable Bill Lupino. Mr. Heard was driving south on Churchill. The CPR flyer, in charge of engineer Emile Carle, 55 Robinson Avenue. Smiths Falls, and Conductor William Quinn, 140 Third Street West, North Bay, was entering Ottawa, Mr. Heard said he did not see the train until a split second before the impact. The heavy locomotive smashed into the rear of his 1953-model station wagon, spinning it around in a circle. The driver told Constable Lupiano he opened the door on his side and hurled himself free. His vehicle missed him by inches as it was knocked headlong into a snowbank. In last night's accident, the heavy city-owned grader was damaged to the extent of $1,000 when it was carried 42 feet along the railway right-of-way by a slow-moving locomotive. CPR engineer, Harry Creighton, told Const. Kenneth Ritchie that he was travelling south across Gladstone Avenue at about four miles an hour when the accident happened. His engine was coupled onto a second locomotive. Both were enroute to Union Station to pick up the Toronto-bound flyer. Mr. Forget reported that he had been backing up among the four sets of rails, CNR and CPR, but because of the noise of the grader failed to hear the warning bell and whistle of the approaching engine. A wig-wag signal that warned of the danger was not noticed by the grader-operator, police said.

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Updated 11 November 2019