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Elkhart, Indiana, 1851.  During an excursion train from Elkhart to White Pigeon, 3 boys were thrown from the top of a box car during switching.  One of the boys died.  [LS]

Adrian Michigan, 1851.  This wreck is noted in [LS], which quotes the Goshen Democrate of September 10, 1851:  "The first train arrived in Elkhart last Friday (September 5th) night.... It had been delayed by a collision between a passenger train and a freight train near Adrian, Michigan in which one man was killed."

Grand Crossing, Illinois  1853.  According to the book "Railroad Wrecks" (Haine. Cornwall Books), Two trains crashed at a railroad grade crossing somewhere Adrian, Michigan.  (Note:  Historian Ray Slate writes that Haine is wrong about the location of this wreck.  It is actually at Grand Crossing, Illinois (near Chicago) on Illinois Central tracks.  He notes that it is correct in Reed and Shaw).  An eastbound Southern Michigan Railroad express train collided at a grade crossing with a southbound Michigan Central Railroad train carrying German emigrants, headed for Toledo.    21 people died and about 60 were injured, mostly emigrants.  The investigation revealed that negligence and "competition" caused the accident.  The Central train had the right of way, but lingered in the area for the purpose of holding up the rival Michigan Southern train.  The Central train also did not have a "regulation headlight".  Go To Top.

Mishawaka, IN, 1859.  On June 28, 1859, the Springbrook river bridge broke apart from heavy rains.  A Michigan Southern express train east bound from Chicago late at night, fell through the bridge into the mud thirty feet below.  The engine and tender were buried completely below the cars of the train.  Forty one people perished in this accident.  Go To Top.

Jackson, Michigan, 1879.  Not long after midnight, on Friday, October 10, 1879, the yardmaster of the Michigan Central's Jackson yards authorized a switch engine to move nine cars and a caboose from a siding on the north of the main track into the yards on the south side. It had moved onto the main track about a half mile west of Dettman Road and was starting to shove into the yards when the westbound Pacific Express rounded the curve east of Dettman Road. Running at twenty-five miles per hour in a heavy fog off the Grand River, the passenger's engineman could not see the switch engine or switch lights until too late. The crew on the switch engine jumped in time. The passenger collided head-on into the switch engine at 1:10 a.m. Both engines derailed, and the first three passenger cars derailed. The fourth car telescoped into the fifth and most of the deaths occurred in these two cars. The engine crew of the passenger train died instantly. Thirteen passengers were killed and twenty-six more were injured.  In forty years of railroad operations, this was the most serious wreck in Michigan. The Jackson yardmaster was found criminally negligent for not learning how late the passenger train was running before authorizing the switch move. The switch engine crew was censured for being on the main track knowing that a passenger train was overdue. Apparently there were no automatic signals in use to protect the move and the jury recommended that these be installed. The railroad agreed with this, but could not identify any system that would provide such protection.  [GM]  Go To Top.

Kipton, OH, 1891.  The Toledo express was to take siding at Kipton to allow the fast mail to pass.  The two trains met newr Kipton station in a crash which killed both engineers and six postl clerks.  The scene was on a curve so the two engineers did not see one another until it was too late.  This crash led to the adoption of "standard watches" to that more accurate time could be kept.  [LS]

Detroit, MI, 1903.  Accident occurred on May 4 at Canfield Avenue on the GTW's line to Brush Street Station.  Earlier in the day, a LS&MS train brought a group of people from Toledo to a Polish festival held at St Josaphat's Church and Harmonia Hall.  When the train returned at 8:00 p.m. that evening, it stopped on the main line to pick up passengers.  This was not a regular station stop and the train apparently did not send out an employee to flag the track.  At 8:30 p.m., a GTW train from Chicago was heading for Brush Street station.  It was most likely No. 8.  The crew knew nothing abut the train at Canfield Avenue until they were right on top of it and had no chance to stop the train in time.  Hearings showed that the crew on the excursion train were all "off the extra board" and not acquainted with the area and took too much for granted.  [MRC-4/1976]

Salem, Michigan, 1907.  An excursion train made up of Pere Marquette Railroad employees was traveling from Ionia, Michigan to Detroit for a day of shopping and other activities.  A train order had been transmitted from the dispatcher in Detroit, giving the excursion train rights over all trains (except first class) from Ionia to Delray Tower in Detroit.  Schedule times were listed for each town along the route.  About 9:00 am, a local freight train left Plymouth, knowing it would need to take siding at Salem, about 5 miles west.  The engineer and conductor transposed times, thinking they had until 9:25 to get to Salem.  Unfortunately, the schedule called for them to be in the clear at Salem by 9:10 am.  The head on ("cornfield meet") collision occurred about 2 miles east of the Salem depot, just east of Napier Road in Wayne County.  30 were killed and many more were injured.  Many people were found at fault in the inquest.  The Plymouth operators (both the night and day shift) were found culpable because they delivered an order which was not clearly written.  The dispatcher was faulted for not holding the excursion train at Salem until he was sure that the freight had cleared (though it was noted that the station agent at Salem was gone to the post office at the time that the excursion train passed).  The freight train crew was also found at fault, along with the railroad itself for having faulty rules.  It was recommended that train order forms be "lined" so that transposition of times would not occur in the future.  The Master Mechanic of the Pere Marquette was also faulted for burning the remains of the railroad cars the night of the collision.  Those looking into the matter felt that he was destroying evidence - specifically covering up for the fact that the cars had wood underframes instead of steel or iron.  Go To Top.

Porter, Indiana, 1921.  At a grade crossing of the Michigan Central's Detroit to Chicago line, and the Lake Shore's Toledo to Chicago airline, a collision occurred which killed 37 and injured 100 people.  The westbound Interstate Limited of the Lake Shore, from Boston bound for Chicago, had the right-of-way through the crossing.  The eastbound MCRR Canadian apparently ran through red signals at the crossing.  The Canadian passed the signal, and was derailed by the "derail" which was on the track to protect the crossing.  After leaving the rail, the train proceeded along the ties until it reached the "frog" at the crossing.  The frog apparently re-railed the train, which stopped across the grade crossing.  The Interstate Limited then drove into the side of the Canadian.  No crew members were killed.  An investigation revealed that the MCRR train had received a yellow approach signal, but failed to stop for the red signal at the crossing.  It was noted that the "derail" was only 310 feet from the crossing, making it ineffective given the Canadian's speed.  Go To Top.

Near Botsford Yard, 1924.  Individual drove his touring car across a private crossing and the left rear wheel fell off the crossing, sticking the car.  Michigan Central passenger train #1 was running 7 minutes late and consisted of a mail car, combination baggage/club car, five Pullman sleeping cars, two coaches and two more Pullman sleeping cars.  It was traveling 50-60 m.p.h.  The engine was 8338, a K-3 Class 4-6-2 Pacific tyoe steam locomotive.  About 4:30 a.m. the fireman called a clear automatic block signal to the engineer about a mile east of the crossing.  The train then hit the car.  The engine tipped on its right side and was badly damaged.  550' of track were torn up.  The cars remained upright, but 3-4 were damaged badly.  The fact that the cars were of the all-steel type was credited with saving lives of the passengers.  The Engineer was scalded to death by escaping hot water and steam when pipes within the cab burst.  The fireman broke his shoulder and arm.  Information from the NYC Historical Society publication Central Headlight, 4th Quarter, 1987.  More Photos.  Go To Top.

Burton, Michigan, 1952.  From the Owosso Argus Press, 9/26/1952.  Autopsies on bodies of Engineer Beer and Fireman Morrison, this mornign showed that neither of them sustained any fractures but dies of extreme shock, plus generalized second and third degree burns from steam and heat.  Dr. Charles Black, state pathologist who performed the autopsy, estimated the two men lived five or ten minutes after the crash, but they were probably both unconscious from the start.  Grand Trunk officials said they expected that the track would be cleared by tonight.  The passenger train from Muskegon to Detroit, due here at 3:05 this afternoon was canceled.  Two Detroit trainmen are dead and one is in Memorial Hospital seriously injured as the result of a wreck on the Grand Trunk Western RR one mile east of Burton shortly before 4 O'clock this morning in which two passenger trains figured.  The engine and three cars on one train were derailed and the engine turned over on its side, while one car in the other train was damaged and tipped partially over.  None of the new passengers on the two trains were injured.  The wreck occured at a sidetrack.  According to Harry Moot, of Detroit, conductor of the eastbound train, the train had orders to meet at the siding, with one of them pulling in on the siding to permit the other to pass.  Moot's train stopped west of the siding and waited for the westbound train, Moot said.  J. R. Albertson, of Detroit, brakeman on the eastbound train was still at the switch, after throwing it to put thw westbound train on the siding when the latter came in sight.  He said that as the train entered the siding it appeared to be traveling too fast and the engine swayed first to the right as it went into the siding, and then to the left.  As it swayed to the left, he said, it ight have hit something on the track; although this was conjecture on his part, he added.  Then, he said, the engine hit the north side of the third car back of the engine on the eastbound train, ripping the siding out of it, and then hurtled off the tracks and landed on its right side at an angle from the siding.  The three cars behind it jackknifed but remained upright.  Go To Top.

Muir, Michigan 1873.  Michigan's first serious train wreck came less than twenty years after trains began running. Before dawn on Friday, August 29, 1873, the westbound night express of the Detroit & Milwaukee (later Grand Trunk Western) stopped about a mile east of Muir after it had lost a driving wheel. The flagman went back to protect the rear of the train from a freight train that was following. He went back the required 800 yards and stopped although he knew the train was on a down grade.