RAILROAD ACCIDENT REPORT: PENN CENTRAL COMPANY COLLISION OF TRAINS N-48 AND N-49 AT DARIEN, CONNECTICUT, AUGUST 20, 1969

About 8:20 P.M. on August 20, 1969, Penn Central commuter trains N-48 and N-49 collided head-on just north of the Hoyt Street crossing on the New Canaan Branch, near Darien, Connecticut. The two trains involved in the accident consisted of self-propelled electrically-operated commuter type passenger cars. Train N-48, going from Stamford to New Canaan, had a three-man crew and about 60 to 80 passengers. The first car in train N-48 had been closed to revenue passengers before it left Stamford. Train N-49, a dead-head equipment train from New Canaan to Stamford, had a three-man crew and was carrying a car inspector and an electrician. A passenger, who was riding without authorization in the head car of N-48, and the engineer were killed. The conductor, flagman and about 40 passengers were injured. The conductor and flagman on train N-49 were killed and the engineer was seriously injured. The head cars of both trains were almost completely destroyed; other cars were less severely damaged. The Safety Board determined that the collision was caused by the operation of train N-48 beyond its meeting point in violation of properly issued train orders. Contributing to the cause of serious injuries and fatalities of the employees and the one passenger were: the design and location of the engineer's control compartment, the inability of the leading cars to withstand the force of the impact, and the location of the victims at the time of the collision in the forward area of the cars. Factors contributing to a great extent to the passengers' injuries were: the lack of restraining devices to hold the passengers in their seat, and the failure and movement of the seat backs.

• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 1970-10-14

Media Info

• Features: Appendices; Figures;
• Pagination: 65 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Commuter cars; Crash investigation; Crashes; Fatalities
• Old TRIS Terms: Train meets
• Subject Areas: Railroads; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00072461
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Transportation Safety Board
• Report/Paper Numbers: NTSB-RAR-70-3
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 13 1974 12:00AM