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Ohio Steam Railroad Accidents

         Four Ohio railroad accidents outside of the Columbus area are part of the lore of Columbus railroading. Two occurred on lines that went through Columbus. The collapse of the Ashtabula bridge would advance railroad bridge engineering, eliminating cast iron in bridge construction.
         A 1891 head-on collision at Kipton, Ohio, caused by one engineer's watch being four minutes slow, helped establish the 1893 watch performance and inspection standards.
         The wreck of the Cleveland Akron & Columbus gas-electric motor car near Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, would help eliminate gasoline to power railcars in Ohio and elsewhere on the Pennsylvania Railroad.
         The wreck on the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Panhandle line near Coshocton, Ohio, that caused the death of soldiers on their way to train for the Korean War was particularly cruel and shocking.

Dec. 29, 1876

Ashtabula, Ohio - a Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway trestle collapsed under a passenger train. 92 passengers and employees were killed and 64 were injured. - The History Guy - Curious History - Vlogging Through History

Apr. 18, 1891

Kipton, Ohio - two Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway trains collided head on. Three trainmen and six postial clerks were killed. - The Great Kipton Train Wreck - Origin of the Railroad Watch

July 31, 1940	Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio - a Pennsylvania Railroad freight train and a passenger train collided head on. 42 passengers and one employee were killed and five employees were injured. - ICC Report - Head on Collision: The Doodlebug Train Disaster - Doodlebug Tragedy website
Sept. 11, 1950	Coshocton, Ohio - a Pennsylvania Railroad passenger train collided with the rear of a second passenger train. 33 passengers were killed, 258 passengers and 20 employees injured. - ICC Report - Korean War Educator website (includes the Keystone article by Richard C. Jacobs and David Apple.

21st Century Accidents

July 11, 2012

Columbus, Ohio - a Norfolk Southern Railway Co. freight train encountered a broken rail derailing 17 cars including three ethanol tank cars. One bystander was injured. - NTSB Report