Details of Railway Accidents in the Ottawa Area

1975, June 26 -  "The Canadian" hit a tar truck at the highway 17 crossing between Haleys and Cobden,
derailing the entire train consisting of 2 locomotives, 1409-1412 and 8 cars.  No injuries.

Ottawa Citizen 27 June 1975 With picture. COBDEN (Staff) The prize CPR passenger train The Canadian, eastbound and carrying 150 passengers, was derailed Thursday after shearing a tanker truck in half. The collision occurred about 5 p.m. at a level crossing on Highway 17, about three miles east of here. The rear portion of the truck, carrying asphalt, was impaled on the front engine and carried at least a quarter mile down the tracks. There were no injuries among passengers and crew, who were bused to Ottawa. The truck driver, whose name was not released by police, emerged with only a bloodied nose. Asphalt from the truck was splattered over The Canadian and one of the passenger cars stopped precariously perched on a small bridge. The derailed train tore up about 100 yards of track. Three cars slid off the roadbed and almost onto their sides in a ditch. Rail ties were ripped into unrecognizable splinters and the sticky asphalt covered a 40-square-yard area around the impact site. CPR officials said the lights and warning bell at the crossing were working at the time of the accident. "He tried to swing with us," commented an unidentified crew member. "He didn't make it." Most were passengers were destined for Montreal. The truck was northbound, travelling from Montreal to Pembroke. The dazed truck driver was discovered partly covered with asphalt sitting on a ripped up rail tie by William McMillan of Vernon, one of the first persons at the scene. Mr. McMillan asked the driver if he was all right and the man mumbled, "Yes." A police spokesman  said charges may be laid. Ottawa Journal 27 June 1975 Train hits tanker near Renfrew RENFREW (Special) -A tanker truck was sliced in half by the eastbound CPR Canadian near here Thursday and the driver walked away from the accident. Marcel LaBlanc, 49, of Lachine, Que., escaped with a cut on his nose.- Five hundred yards of track were ripped up and five cars were derailed but they remained upright There were about 70 passengers on the train at the time. No one was hurt. The back part of the tanker was carried 500 yards down the track. It was loaded with liquid asphalt. The accident happened on Highway 17 about 15 miles west of Renfrew shortly after 5 p.m. The drfver was westbound, driving into the sun, and said he did not see the signal. The collision happened 3½ miles west of the site of a 33-car derailment last winter. Debris from that accident-can still be seen along the right of way. Ottawa Journal 30 June 1975 Train off rails . . . twice RENFREW (Special) -The CPR train involved derailed after a collision with a tanker truck west of Renfrew Thursday ran into more trouble early Saturday. It was being pulled by a work train when two cars went off the track near the Renfrew station about 4 a.m.  A crane was brought to the derailed cars and lifted them to one side while new track was installed. The work was completed about noon. The driver of the tanker truck, Marcel Leblanc, 49, of Lachine, Quebec escaped with slight cuts. None of the 70 passengers on the train was hurt. Five cars were derailed and 500 yards of track torn up. Damage has been estimated at $1.5 million.

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Updated 16 May 2020