I'm sending this for Don Relyea. "I hope this works and these may be of interest to the group. The wreck occured on July 18, 1947 at Fonda, NY. My grandfather was the engineer operating engine number 2775, an L2a Mohawk I believe. He was the only one injured. It tied up all four tracks of the mainline for quite some time. He said the tower man switched his train into the backend of a work train sitting on a siding. He also said they never saw the tower man again after the wreck. Don Relyea" and now for the photos:
I want to thank Roger for posting these photos for me. They have been in the family since the time of the wreck and I thought others might like to view them. I don't know who took them but they are very high quality 8 x 10 and i believe they were taken by a company photographer. My grandfather used to keep a framed one hanging in the house, I guess as a reminder of how lucky he was. Don R
Roger, and Don, thank you for posting those photos. My home town of Little Falls is just 30+ miles from Fonda and I have no recollection of hearing about the wreck, but then I was only 7 years old. I do remember vividly the conductor announcing "Fonda, next stop" when riding the Central with my dad. You said your grandfather was the only one injured. Did he recover enough to return to work as an engineer? :tb-confused:
Thanks Roger, Thanks Don! Amazing photographs! Amazing that there were no fatalities! Roger I want to again thank you for the absolutely fantastic AND historic photos that you have been providing for our viewing pleasure. Seeing them makes the New York Central System live again, largely through your photos of a key link in that system, the Big Four! Charlie T
Fantastic photos. Thanks very much for sharing. Don, your grandfather was extremely fortunate that the work train caboose, being old and wooden, appeared to absorb most of the locomotive's energy by totally disintegrating, but the boxcar next to it seemed to survive much better. Looks like your grandfather was running fairly slowly because his train did not crush the tender, but just knocked it to the side slightly without disconnecting it from the locomotive.
..and more information, a newspaper article... "East Syracuse Engineer Injured in NYC Collision Westbound trains were running Into Syracuse about 45 minutes late Last night as a result of derailment of two freight trains at Fonda that blocked the New York Central railroad four-track main Line. Douglas Sheldon, 53, of 219 W. Irving St., East Syracuse, engineer of an eastbound train involved in the collision, was treated for a hand injury at St. Mary’s, Amsterdam. According to the Associated Press. Emergency crews worked at top speed to clear the wreckage from the main line and traffic was rerouted after the eastbound coal train struck a motor-powered track car, caromed into a work train on a siding and then sideswiped a passing westbound freight. Twenty-four cars were either derailed or telescoped. Railroad officials said they expected the tracks to be opened to passenger trains by nightfall and to freight by midnight" ...and Don sez: My grandfather was a very important person in my life. He and my grandmother raised me from about the age of 5 and I was around railroading basically my whole life. Don Relyea ...and now the photo:
As you can see by the photo above, he continued work on the railraod well into the diesel age as a passenger engineer. The injury he sustained was a crushed right hand but was able to recover almost 100% use of it. He finally retired in 1964 at the age of 70. Shortly after that he went to work as a desk clerk at the RRYMCA in E. Syracuse so he could keep up with what was going on. Like many his age, he just couldn't stop doing something. Don R
