Notice how the feedwater heaters of both locomotives are touching. There would normally be about 8' of pilot between the two locomotives, which would offer a likely explaination for the massive welds we found on 6167's frame in that location.
John R. Davis photo, courtesy Grant Kingsland
View from the opposite side of the bridge. Most of the boxcars at the front of the train ended up in the river, whilst many of the hoppers of OCS (On Company Service) Coal ended up comprseed into a small space.
John R. Davis photo, courtesy Grant Kingsland
In the background, 6166's train has been removed and the wreck crane has pulled up behind it.
John R. Davis photo, courtesy Grant Kingsland
John R. Davis photo, courtesy Grant Kingsland
CNR 6166's tender can be seen in the background. Note the extreme angle it is resting at.
John R. Davis photo, courtesy Grant Kingsland
While 6166's train had almost stopped at the moment of impact, 6167's train was still moving at a high rate of speed, causing the damage seen here.
John R. Davis photo, courtesy Grant Kingsland
The remains of the baggage car can be seen around 6166's tender. It would appear that at in the impact, 6166 was forced backwards, ramming into the baggage car, completely obliterating it and causing the tender to rest at that extreme angle.
Photo courtesy of the Group Traq Collection
Photo courtesy of the Group Traq Collection
Photo courtesy of the Group Traq Collection
Another view of the opposite side of the bridge.
Photo courtesy of the Group Traq Collection
CNR 6166's train can still be seen in the distance
Photo courtesy of the Group Traq Collection
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BE BRIEF
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URGENT URGENT URGENT URGENT
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New
Form 24
replaces
G.T.R. 13
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Canadian National Railways
Railway Service Telegram
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262-266 NA U BR. Messrs. JWW BW. FLCB. Toronto. Ont.
Anticipate Have Freight Cars Out Of Way At West End Early This After
Noon,And To Have Engs 6166 And 6167 Rerailed And Clear Of Bridge Late
Tonight. Tender Of 6166 Train No 1 Resting On South Side, Girder, And Now
Being Rerailed By Riv Du Loup Auxiliary.Pony Truck And Drivers Both Engs
Derailed But Close to Rail.Twenty Freight Cars Six With Mdse,And14 With
OCS Coal, Derailed And Piled Up,Both Sides Of Track Between Bridge And
Crossing Distance About Two Hundred Feet.Estimated Damage Eng 6166 Thirty
Five Thousand Dollars, to 6167 Forty Thousand Dollars, To Freight Equipment
About Thirty Thousand Dollars, Also One Baggage Car Totally Destroyed And
Another Very Badly Damaged. Anticipate Will Take About Fifteen Hours Make
Bridge Passable After Cleared Of Two Locomotives.A Few Bents Will Require
Be Installed To Support Bridge. Span No.5, West End, South Girder, Badly
Twisted,End Section Will Have To Be Renewed. Span No 4 Floor Beams,Panels
Nos 6 And 7, Are Bent,Also Stringers In The Bays. We Will Endeavor Avoid
Further Damage In Rerailing Two Engs, But May Find Other Damage To Bridge,
After Engs Removed,Residents In Vicinity Testify No 1 Was Almost Stopped
And Freight Train Still Running At Good Speed With Brakes Applied At Time
Collision, Clear Weather And Good Rail,Track Tangent Approaching Montmagny
From West,About Two Miles And From East About Five Miles,I Just Found Fire
Started In One Of Derailed Mdse Cars, While Being Handled By Auxiliary.
M-1.
O.Masse. 120PM
Rush. Urgent
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BE BRIEF
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Canadian National Railways
Railway Service Telegram
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New
Form 24
replaces
G.T.R. 13
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B139-145NAHK
Montmagny Que July 7th 1943
F L C Bond. Toronto Ont
J W Wardlaw. " ""Copy JWW And FLCBond In Montreal"
Opr Doyer On Duty Montmagny Yesterday States Was Aware No.1
Running Late On Late Order But Did Not Have Copy Late Order
For Any Train..When He Heard 702 Approaching West End Of
Yard He Was Working At Cash Book And Knowing No.1 Was In
Vicinity Cap Stignace He Asked Despatcher Hudon Where 702
Was To Meet 1.. Hudon Replied Montmagny. Doyer Immediately
Displayed Train Order Signal To Stop Position Picked Up Red
Flag And Went Out On Platford Giving Violent Stop Signals..
Train Order Signal Was Displayed At Stop Position As The Engine
Passed It...He Claims Brakes Not Applied On Train Before Collision
Caboose Stopped Short Distance East Of Station.. He Saw Condr
And Brakeman On Rear Platform Caboose When It Passed Station When
Both Of Them Entered Caboose.. Doyer In Service Sixteen Years.
Well Acquainted Montmagny Sub.. Understand Conductor Sirois On 702
Failed To Register Or Check Register StCharles Where He Received
Clearance Only There Being No Orders For His Train.. Agent
Roy On Duty St Charles Delivered To M 702 Clearance Showing
Nil In Each Lines Regarding Superior Trains Having Arrived And
Left.. Will Interview Agent Roy On My Return.. He Has Been In
Service Over Forty Years And At St Charles For Many Years...
M-1.JNT FLCB...JWW...CY JEG....
O.Masse
CN
340PM
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BE BRIEF
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Canadian National Railways
Railway Service Telegram
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New
Form 24
replaces
G.T.R. 13
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Messrs. FLCB. WCS. JWW. DFMCC. BW. FPN. HCB. CPO. Toronto.Ont.
177-190 NA U BR.
Levis, Que July 7th-43.
Further To Form 3903 Re Accident mile 72.5 Montmagny Sub Divn.
Symbol M-As Follows.-.
Jos Lavasseur , Engman,Riv Du Loup Dead.
Albani Ouellet, Fireman Apparently Broken Leg
M.Mayers, Stewart,Light Pain To The Arms.
Jos Dumas, Baggageman, Riv Du Loup, Light Pain To Arms, And Feet.
V Linder Express Msgr, 40 A-36th Ave,Lachine,Q.Montreal. Light Bruise On
Elbow.
J M Lachance, Mail Clerk, 40 PereMarquette,Quebec,Light Cut On Forehead.
L Bernier, Mail Clerk, 24, 15th St.Limoilou,Q.Light Cut At The Face.
H.E.Belanger, Mail Clerk, 78 Rue Du Roi St,Pascal,Bailong,Quebec,
Light Pain to Stomach.
L.Lemieux, Mail Clerk 83 1/2 2nd Sr, Limoilou Q, Light Cut At Back.
J.H.Blier, Eng Man Riv Du Loup, Nervous Shock, And Slight Scratches At Face
Taken To Hospital,At Levis.
C.Briand, Fireman,Riv Du Loup,Seriosuly Wounded,No Details.
Following Psgrs On Train no 1 Injured-..
A D Maclean, 3245 Vanhorne , Montreal, Left Knee Slightly Injured.
Elizabth Glazier, 3 Yrs Old, Quebec Ouest Light Cut On Leg.
Mrs John Glazier, Quebec Ouest, Slight Bruise Forehead And Shoulders.
Mrs Gerard Auprix, 5998 Louis Hebert,Montreal, Light Scratch On Shoulder.
Mrs Berthest Pierre, 2530 Coursell,Montreal, Bump On Head, Pregnant.?
Miss Agnes Ouellet, 354 Marie,Lincarnation,Quebec,Slight Bruise On Leg.
Miss Gloire Gagnon, 888 Notre Dame, Ouest Montreal, Slight Injured.
M J Clark, 8-76342,Kingston,Ont,Light Bruise And Strain
Roland Levesque, 90 Rue Lafayette,Quebec,Slight Injured To Legs.
C J Morgan,Navy, 1034, Queens Ave,Victoria.Bruise On Left Leg
S C Akenhead, Navy, 111 Farquhar St,Menaumo, BC,Leg And Head Injured.
Therese Martin, St Annes De Lapocatiere, Leg Injured.
Jeannette Boicher, St Annes De Lapocatiere, Right Leg Injured
A H Apple, 62 Eldere Ave,Long Branch,Ont,Left Eye And Nose And Left Hand
Injured
Douglas Rogers, Navy , 62 Smith St, London Ont, Both Eyes Nose And Head
Slightly Injured.
Sylvia Silver, Windsor Hotel,Montreal,Pain At Neck,And Stomach.
J C Lloyd, Navy,1129 Wast 10th St,Calgary,Bruise On Shoulder.
Carmen Morel, 4364 Delarche,Montreal,Slight Injury.
Gillies , Navy,Rodney Ont.Left Leg Slightly Injured.
Edith Damour, 3923 St Denis, Montreal,Nervous Shock
Miss Mary McNeil,1208 Ossington Ave,Toronto Ont,Light Pain To The Head.
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BE BRIEF
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Canadian National Railways
Railway Service Telegram
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New
Form 24
replaces
G.T.R. 13
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| 2nd Sheet.
Freda Willimsky, Windsor,Hotel,Montreal,Light Pain To The Head.
Mde Edouard, Lauzier,6978 St Denis ,Montreal,Left Leg Slightly Injured.
Andree Simonneau,Army, Barryfield Ont,Left Leg Slightly Injured Scratched.
Alice Borgela, St Annes De Lapocatiere, Broken Glass,Light Pain To Eyes.
Edith Phillips, 653, Osborne Ave,Verdun,Q,Slight Cut Over Right Eye.
Miss Dores Auger, Val Brilliant, Light Pain To Left Leg.
George McLaughlin,Navy,955 Thurlon,St, Vancouver,BC.Shaken Up.
A J Dalton, RCAF, On Duty,Christie St,Hospital,Toronto,Ont,Light Pain To
Head.
R.J.Nadon, 3756 Parc Lafontaine,Montreal,Nervous Shock.
G Huard, RCMP, On Duty,458 Lewis St,Ottawa,Light Pain To The Neck.
Mrs D W Lonsdale,78 Indian Road,Toronto,Light Cut To Right Leg.
Mrs W Turner, 392 King Street, Chatham Ont,Light Pain At Left Knee.
Francis Nigrail 3245 Vanhorne ,Montreal Stiff Neck.
Miss M White, Bagotville, Light Pain At Head.
Mrs J A McDonald,Apt 2, Harold,Apt, Winnipeg,Bump At Head.
Lucien Tremblay , D 504920 5031 Market St,Montreal,Light Cut On Right Eye.
Mrs Leo Blais, Mormetal, Abitibi, Light Pain To Right Leg.
M S Brittain, Navy,On Dutty, Barryfield Ont,Light Pain To Neck.
Mrs A Y Yurek, 392 Slater St, Ottawa,Light Pain To The Head. Claiming
Refund For Clothes.
Miss Jeanne Raymond,St Annes De Lapocatiere, Light Scratch On Left Foot A
And Claiming Three Dollars For Clothes,Refund.
Miss Rita Frigot, 714, Lagauchetiere, West Montreal,Light Pain At Side
Of Body.
Miss Isabelle Michaud,Amqui,Light Cut On Forehead.
Miss Marcelle Janet, Rimouski, Light Cut On Forehead.
Joint,. D706.
R.B. Corrigan. Supt.
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Montmagny Bridge Photos - May 23, 2011
Montmagny Station Photos - May 23, 2011
The Mystery Of The Photos
John R. Davis sent me this story of how he came across the the photos of the Montmagny wreck:
While I have no idea who took the Montmagny pictures, it would appear the views credited to me and to Traq were all the work of the same photographer.
I was 11 years old at the time of the wreck and have never been east of Victoriaville on the CN, which was on the CRHA excursion behind 6167 October 27th, 1963.
The views credited to me came into my hands this way -
Back around 1974 the late Ed Quinn, a long time acquaintance and medically retired GT conductor, was setting up a small railroad museum in his garage in Gilead, Maine. As I was helping him occasionally when home from the base I was stationed at and knowing I was doing
some printing of my own at the hobby shop's darkroom during the week, he asked if I could make some 5x7 enlargements for his display panels from some odd-size copy negatives he had made from some prints. Among them were 6 or 7 views of 6166 and 6167 in a headon collision.
He told me the photos were marked "Headon collision of #1 and coal train at Montmagny 1943" and had found them in the cabin of idler 58164 attached to the Island Pond auxiliary, and that none of the shopmen recalled where they came from. I made him a set of 5x7s and as part of the deal, made several sets for myself of which I later traded some to other collectors.
Adding to the mystery of who the actual photographer was, is how some prints of the wreck turned up in 58164's cabin, as the Island Pond auxiliary was not involved in the cleanup at Montmagny, though it's possible some of the shopmen who crewed it had gone to Montmagny to relieve the auxiliary crews that were there, and one of the obtained the prints through coming in contact with the photographer.
Further complicating the prints coming into Eddie's possession, is that neither the prints or the copy negatives were in the contents of the museum were acquired by the Crockett Foundation shortly before his death and its being loaned to the Gorham Historical Society in Gorham, NH, and my having been the one who unpacked and arranged the exhibit in CV boxcar 41146 in 1994 on behalf of Mrs. Crockett who was anxious to see the material displayed after it had been sitting untouched in the boxcar for several years untouched, I can only surmise they were among things that Eddie had sold off when he and the late John Egan, a fellow conductor and collector, disposed of a mix of photos, negatives, timetables, station signs, etc, from their collections at an auction in Groveton, NH during the latter 1980's.
Am really curious now that I know more about the Montmagny collision as to who did take the photographs.
The telegraphs transcribed here are all courtesy of Robert Burnet, while the photos from the Group Traq Collection were provided to me by Marc Carette.
In the photos, you can see how both engines have been sandwiched together (look at the feedwater heater bundles). We are quite certain that 6167 had to have a new smokebox rolled for her as part of her repairs. When the shop forces put the new smokebox on, they installed the builders plate way up the side of the smokebox, whereas the original location was just under the running boards (which was very unusual in itself as most engines had them mounted just above the running boards). Further more when 6167 rolled out of the shops, many of the cosmetic features of her front end had been revised.
Some additional points:
-Train No 1 is the Ocean Limited.
-6167 was hauling 41 loads 1 empty (Caboose) and weighed 3284 Tons.
-Mdse=Merchandise, Opr=Operator
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