Just north of the East Thompson station the branch to Southbridge, departed from the double track Boston bound main. The Southbridge local, as was the line's custom, was using the westbound main while making up its train preparatory to heading up the branch to Webster and Southbridge. Meanwhile weather had delayed two eastbound expresses and a fast eastbound timetable freight down at Putnam, eight miles south of East Thompson.

The Southbridge and Blackstone It is but a memory today, and East Thompson is no longer a railroad town. A 1955 flood washed out the Air Line Bridge at Putnam ending through traffic and in 1969 the Blackstone to Putnam section of the line was abandoned. Only a short section of the Southbridge branch remains in place, although unused in nearly a decade.

To get the trains over the road a bit faster the first train, the fast freight, was dispatched on the "wrong hand" track with orders to switch back to the regular eastbound track once it had been passed by the two passenger expresses. The fast freight and the Southbridge Local met by accident at 6:48 a.m. The impact threw the Southbridge local off the tracks and down a bank onto the adjacent Old Hartford Turnpike, while the cars of the fast freight jackknifed over onto the adjacent eastbound track. A moment later the Long Island and Eastern States Express crashed into the debris. The locomotive leading the Eastern States reeled off the track like a crazed iron colt and tried to bury itself in the loose gravel. Coming to rest, the safety valve broke off venting the boiler, the steam digging a hole and spewing a hail of gravel that completely demolished a nearby house. Bleary eyed passengers, awakened by the impact began to tumble out of the sleeping cars to have a look at what happened, and it was good thing too. The Boston bound Boat Train, only minutes behind the Eastern States, then crashed into mess.

Stunned onlookers are said to have sat down on the ground to wait and see if any more trains were going to crash before finally going on to help the injured. Miraculous indeed was that there were only two fatalities in the wreck, the engineer and fireman of the Eastern States. Eerily, the regular fireman of that engine had booked off on the fatal night due to a premonition of disaster.

In the photograph, the Boat Train's engine is at the left. Side by side are engines 175 of the timetable freight and, turned around backwards, engine 105 from the Eastern States. Just visible at the right are the domes of the Southbridge Local's engine.

A great many of the curious soon descended on the scene. The NY&NE, always eager for a buck, even took advantage of the wreck and ran specials to the wreck site. Souvenir hunters helped themselves to pieces of the debris even carrying off the lamps and blankets from the shattered Pullman cars.

About the Author The Great East Thompson Train Wreck is based on a selection from Stephen Bothroyd's upcoming book on railroads of Southern New England. Steve's first book order the book He also repairs antique steam machinery. In June he reassembled an 1899 built 3 foot gauge Porter 0-4-0T steam locomotive in Fairbanks, Alaska. more . . .