Mysterious EL train wreck pics

Afboone · **Posted:** Sat Jan 21, 2012 8:07 pm

Folks, I found these pictures on a site that is questionable source. Does anyone know where this wreck happened? Just looking for info on what happened.
http://rides.webshots.com/album/582179894MpdMFD]

I posted them with the 1912 wreck post, yeah I know I hijacked it. Also I did post on it over on Railroad.net and got 2 leads but they didn't match up.
One recommended it was the Sterling, Ohio wreck.
Another said it was the Millrift,PA. But I really can't find much on that wreck.

Thanks in advance.

Howard P. · **Posted:** Mon Jan 23, 2012 2:25 am

Mill Rift is a much better possibility than Sterling, Ohio. The curve and the fill and hills in the background certainly look like the east end of the Mill Rift bridge.

Howard P.

PaulWWoodring · **Posted:** Mon Jan 23, 2012 10:15 am

Not Sterling. Sterling is very flat with no fills like the one in the photos.

Zog · **Posted:** Tue Jan 24, 2012 9:18 am

Steve,
I will be seeing my friend the former EL trainmaster this weekend. I will ask him for any details he can remember.

Zog
MP30 Hudson Division

cjvrr · **Posted:** Tue Jan 24, 2012 3:23 pm

That looks like a wreck that occured at Rundell's Curve just east of Black Rock cut which is about halfway between Port Jervis and Otisville, NY. I have seen photos of it elsewhere. There were actually two wreck that occured in the same area only a few years apart.

Jim Vaitkunas · **Posted:** Tue Jan 24, 2012 7:06 pm

Here I am, interested in seeing photos of the wreck of an elevated train in Boston, Phily or New York, and I see railroad wreck photos? Boy, you guys can confuse this old traction fan. ;>)

I knew it wasn't a Chicago elevated train wreck because in Chicago it's the "L" not "El."

Cheers!

Zog · **Posted:** Sat Jan 28, 2012 10:33 am

I talked with my friend and I got the story on this wreck. He does not remember the exact date but figures it was in the 1962-1964 range.

The location was not Millrift PA or Sparrowbush NY but I was close with my estimate.

The location was just east of Port Jervis NY at the bottom of the long grade up to the Otisville Tunnel. It began with a westbound manifest freight which had stopped east of Port Jervis yard awaiting clearance to enter the yard. The rear of the train stretched back into the big curve just east of the Nevesink River.

Coming west behind the manifest was a piggyback train powered by the two GP-9's. The engineer on the piggyback train was unable to stop short of the manifest and plowed into the caboose. The force of the collision sent the two Geeps down the bank.

Hal Reiser
MP 30 Hudson Division