Ligonier Valley Rail Road Newspaper Articles
We have compiled over 1,400 newspaper articles that mention the Ligonier Valley Railroad, or related subjects. The articles were originally published starting in 1873 and our collection runs through 1995. Enjoy!
Latrobe Bulletin
December 7, 1907
Wreck Was Costliest In History Of The L. V. R. R.
It was not until early this morning that the Pennsylvania wrecking crew succeeded in getting cleared away, the wreckage which was piled up at Idlewild, yesterday morning, when the L. V, R, R s Jonah engine, No. 9 jumped a frog and scattered a string of steel coke cars all over the track. The wreck was the most costly in the history of the Ligonier Valley Railroad Company, the engine having been badly demolished, while five big steel cars were so badly bent and twisted that they will have to be practically rebuilt. The entire line was tied up, all day, yesterday, the company having transferred its passengers around the wreck, and having run its trains on either side. This was the third wreck in which engine No. 9 has played a prominent part and its a newly acquired engine at that.
Brakeman McDowell, who was riding on the front end of the train when the wreck occurred, had a close shave from death, the narrow margin by which he escaped being indicated by the fact that a piece of his glove was cut out, having been caught in the pile-up. McDowell jumped when he saw the cars coming behind him, turning a complete somersault, and continuing to roll on down the bank towards the creek. The cars were all loaded with coal from the Old Colony plant, and this is what took so long in clearing away the wreckage, the coal having to be shoveled from the track.
The Ligonier Valley Railroad Company has been singularly fortunate is the matter of wrecks during its many years of existence, there having been but few smash-ups of any consequence and little or no loss of life. With the development of the coal fields of the Valley, however, and the consequent increase of tonnage over the line, wrecks such as was the one of yesterday, are bound to occur, and the loss resulting from them will have to be taken into consideration.