I know the steamies here will cry in their beer over this staged collision.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUc3wd4I ... re=related

I had seen small clips of this many times over the years, can see now that it was staged as an event for a State Fair in 1913.
Anyone else want to comment on possibly where or what equipment?

There's not enough information to determine which event this took place at. Believe it or not, staged train collisions were a staple of many large events in the late 1800s and early 1900s-something like 70+ staged collisions between 1890 and 1930 are known to have happened.

the California state fair is the location = footage closely resembles film from the sf archives that states state Fair California

Pete

Now if the Chinese really want to get international attention.....