Large Scale Central

The story behind the staged train wreck

A Train Company Crashed Two Trains. You Will Believe What Happened Next

Smithsonian Magazine

Lorraine Boissoneault

Reprinted in pocket worthy

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/a-train-company-crashed-two-trains-you-will-believe-what-happened-next?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Thanks David, what an amazing story.

Couldn’t stop myself from fishing for related items, and here’s a video blurb on the Crush wreck.

Though really dangerous (two people died at the above exposition), and sad to see loco’s destroyed now, it seems like these events were quite the rage…

Hey Folks;

It definitely was on a smaller scale and not deadly, but does anyone recall the clash between the two farm tractors in the movie Footloose? That seemed (to me at least) to pay homage to those old staged train crashes. AND then, of course, there is Gomez Adams!

Best wishes, David Meashey

P.S. One of the more famous model railroaders (perhaps Witt Towers?) had a meat packing plant named the Cornfield Meat Company (pun obviously intended!). Perhaps I should add for those not familiar with railroad jargon, that a “cornfield meet” is railroad jargon for a head on collision between two trains.

Yeah, those staged crashes were really popular for a while, and there was a guy going all over the country putting on these spectacles.

It would definitely be cool to see. I’d prefer to see those old locos preserved, but if they weren’t used for staged wrecks, they would have just been scrapped.

Dave, you mean this “clash”?

Actually, I’m kind of a mild fan of the movie though it was obviously a product of its time and rather predictable.

Mark;

Yeah, that one! Kinda’ fun to see Kevin Bacon that young again.

Cheers, David Meashey