Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1960, December 30 - four people killed in a vehicle-train collision on the Canadian Pacific Carleton Place subdivision in Britannia.

From the Ottawa Citizen 30 December 1960. Four persons were killed shortly before noon today when their car was struck by a CPR passenger train at the McEwen Avenue crossing in Britannia. The wreckage was carried for 1/4 of a mile west along the tracks. One of those killed has been tentatively identified as George Stead, 62. the other victims were a woman, another man and a boy.  They have not been identified. The accident occurred at 11.15 a.m., when the CPR four-coach train was bound for Brockville from Ottawa. The crossing has no lights or signals. The impact of the crash welded the 1950 Pontiac to the front of the diesel and cutting torches had to be used to detach it. Body thrown from car. Mr. Stead's body was thrown from the wreckage 100 yards from the crossing, and the bodies of the other three persons were removed when the train came to a stop. Considerable damage was done to the front of the train. The train engineer was Stan Patterson, of 706 Churchill Avenue, who was also the engineer when Kenneth Sparks was killed at the Britannia Road crossing November 7, 1960. The car was travelling north across the track. Other members of the CPR crew, all Ottawa men, included: W. Nevins, fireman; J.E. Murphy, conductor; J.E. Craig, trainman and W.E. White, baggageman.  The train consisted of a diesel engine, baggage car and three coaches. The four bodies were taken to the Civic Hospital morgue. Coroner Dr. W.T. Kendall was called to the scene and pronounced all the victims dead. There were further details in the next day's paper: http://news.google.ca/newspapers?id=l9gxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=i-QFAAAAIBAJ&pg=7182,3025797&dq=railway+|+railroad+|+train+|+cnr+|+cpr+-bride+-to-train+-will-train&hl=en Ottawa Citizen 16 February 1961 Jury Urges Crossing Protection A coroner's jury last night recommended that all railway crossings in the city be protected with mechanical warning devices. Meanwhile it urged that stop signs be erected at all unprotected crossings. The jury was inquiring into the death of George Edward Stead, 77, of 60 McEwen Avenue, whose car was hit by a westbound train at the McEwen Avenue CPR crossing December 30. Also killed in the crash were his wife, Ethel, 66, and their two foster children Gerald Davis, 11, and Robert Falls, 10. No Blame The jury offered no explanation for the accident, which occurred at an unprotected crossing around 11 a.m. However, it cleared the train crew of any blame, noting that the crew had taken "all possible precautions". Fireman Wllbert Nevins said the car approached the crossing slowly, as If it were about to stop. When It failed to do so, engineer Stanley Patterson vainly applied the train's emergency brake. Mr. Slead was hurled from the car by the crash. Like his three passengers he died instantly.

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Updated 2 February 1961