Train Wreck in Irvington--1940

With two rail lines cutting through the neighborhood, Irvington residents have seen a fair number of accidents over the years. On Saturday, April 27, 1940, residents in southern Irvington were jolted by a thunderous crash. Nine train cars pulled by a double header (two locomotives) sped along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from Cincinnati. As the train traveled through the community, a coal gondola (open-air car) came loose causing the other eight empty stock cars to slam into each other near South Spencer Avenue. Amazingly, neither the conductor, Ralph Lowry, nor the engineer, Carl Shaefer, were injured in the spectacular crash. Curious neighbors raced to the scene and found the train cars strewn about and the tracks torn up. Since it was a lovely spring day and on a weekend, many walked or rode their bikes down to the scene of the accident.

The Sohn family dwelled at 378 South Downey Avenue. The B & 0 Railroad was just south of their backyard. On the following Sunday, Anton and Ruth Sohn grabbed their family and headed to the accident scene to survey the damage. They didn't have to walk far as the crash site was just behind their home. At some point, Mrs. Sohn photographed her husband and children standing next to the wreckage. The story of the crash made page seven of the Sunday edition of the Indianapolis Star. A dramatic fire in downtown Indianapolis along Pennsylvania Street and Hitler's blitzkrieg through northern Europe occupied the main headlines on the front page of the paper.

Anton and Ruth Sohn dwelled at 378 South Downey Avenue. Mr. Sohn operated a grocery store along Fletcher Avenue. In this photo, he posed with his children most likely on Sunday, April 28, 1940, next to the train wreckage along the B&O RR in Irvington. (Photo courtesy of Anton and Bill Sohn)

Local residents gathered to view the wreckage of nine train cars along the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on April 27, 1940.  Mrs. Sohn of 378 South Downey Avenue kept the newspaper articles about the crash in a diary. (Indianapolis Star, April 28, 1940, 7) 

 Information and images for this story are courtesy of the Sohn family.

Irvington Train Wreck--1960

On June 1, 1960, a passenger train bound for St. Louis, Missouri and originating in New York City derailed in Irvington along the Pennsylvania Line. The sixteen-car train crossed Arlington Avenue and as it headed towards Audubon Road, it ran over a faulty rail at Good Avenue. The four rear railcars slipped off the tracks, but did not overturn. Twenty passengers were tossed about, but suffered no injuries. Sixteen-year-old Bill Ferling, an Irvington resident, learned of the crash, grabbed his camera, and raced to the scene. He took these four images of the derailment. In the top photo, you can see the Bruckman Coal building at 203 Good Avenue. The remaining three images show the accident scene. It took several hours to clean up. Passengers from the rear cars were moved to the front twelve cars and went on to St. Louis. The Pennsylvania Line is no longer in operation, but the city of Indianapolis has plans for a bike trail to replace it sometime in 2013 or 2014. The historic images are courtesy of Bill Ferling.

Source: "4 of 16 Pennsy Passenger Cars Leaves Tracks in City; None Hurt," Indianapolis Star, June 2, 1960, 4.