On October 17, 1975, about 6:37 p.m., a northbound Penn Central Transportation Company (Penn Central) passenger train, No. 944, struck the rear of Penn Central passenger train No. 132, which had made an unscheduled stop near Wilmington, Delaware, because of an equipment malfunction. Train No. 939, a southbound Penn Central passenger train that was approaching on an adjacent track, struck the derailed equipment from No. 944. The collisions injured 25 persons and caused property damage of $817,866. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the rear end collision was the engineer's failure to operate his train according to established procedures. Contributing to the accident was the operational practice of the railroad industry which permits trains to enter occupied blocks. The second collision was caused by the absence of flagging.


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    Title :

    Collision of Penn Central Transportation Company Operated Passenger Trains Numbers 132, 944, and 939 Near Wilmington, Delaware, October 17, 1975


    Publication date :

    1976


    Size :

    23 pages


    Type of media :

    Report


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English