"The Pennsylvania Flyer Accident"
December 18th, 1946
3:55 A.M
Marion Station
Passengers had started boarding the Pennsylvania Flyer, while the station staff was putting luggage and crates inside the baggage car. The engineer was the only crew member that was operating the engine that night, not to mention he had previously worked onboard the Silver Express. The total of passengers that were onboard were 156, including 2 stewards, 1 wireless operator, and 1 conductor. Sometime before the train departed, the wireless operator received a telegram saying that the bridge that the train was going to cross had collapsed due to a rock being dislodged and slamming into one of the supports. The operator ignored the message, and threw it away, sealing the fate of many of the passengers aboard. Among the passengers was Matthew Thompson, whom was travelling with Mrs. Molly and Mr. Luca, whom was his best friends.
4:00 A.M
The Pennsylvania Flyer departed from Marion Station, all of the passengers and the engineer were unaware of the massive danger that lay ahead... The train had gained speed quickly, and was travelling at around 45 MPH, due to the fact that the engineer wanted to get his train on time. Many of the passengers were sleeping that night, all except for Matthew and Luca.
4:15 A.M
The engineer saw the collapsed bridge, and knew that the lives of every passenger and crew were in his hands. He blew the whistle loudly, and then slammed on the brakes, as well as shutting off steam. But sadly, the train was going too fast to stop in time. The entire train derailed off the tracks and fell into the river. The engine fell head first, then the baggage car, then the dining car, then the passenger car, and finally the observation car. Matthew Thompson recalled what happened inside the passenger car. "I remember that Luca and I were talking about how much the transportation and communication has changed since the war. Luca was about to tell me about his future plans, when all of a sudden, the car we were in jolted forward, and we were thrown from our seats. I hit my head with something, and then I blacked out."
4:18 A.M
The Pennsylvania Flyer had derailed off a broken bridge and was now starting to flood rapidly with water. Passengers started to panic and some were trying to escape through the windows. Some even were trying to open the doors, but were not able to, since the conductor was the only who could open them. Matthew Thompson recalled what he did that night after the accident happened. "I woke up, and I was on top of someone whom was unconscious as well. I got off of him, and I looked around. There were many bodies laid around me, and I instantly remembered that Molly was inside her cabin trapped. I went to see if Luca was there, but he wasn't. I then took my right shoe, and broke a window that wasn't flooding, so those who would wake up would be able to escape from the sinking car, as I saw that water was beginning to flood it. I got out, and I saw the entire train was going under. The engine had already sunk, and the baggage car as well. The dining car was half-submerged as well as the passenger car I was in. But I didn't see the observation car anywhere, as it was very dark and I could not see well. Luckily, rescue arrived several minutes later, and I managed to clamber up the embankment into solid ground."
4:34 A.M
The Pennsylvania Flyer had sunken completely under the river. Out of the 156 passengers and crew that were aboard, 63 survived, including Matthew Thompson, Mr. Luca, and Mrs. Molly. Mr. Luca was rescued from the sinking passenger car, and Mrs. Molly was rescued from her cabin. The engineer, the conductor, 1 steward, and the wireless operator were among the dead, along with 93 passengers. It was the worst disaster ever to hit the Pennsylvania Railroad. After the disaster, the railroad was sued for human negligence, due to the fact that if the wireless operator had not thrown away the warning about the collapsed bridge, the train would have been cancelled until the bridge was repaired.