New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-08-03
BLOCK CENTRAL TRAINS
ACCIDENTS STOP TRAFFIC
At RUSH HOURS.
Local Passenger Rams Locomotive
and Tears Up Tracks at
Mott .HdUen.

Iraffc on the New York Central Railroad was
oeiayed for nearly two hours late yesterday
afternoon. when local passenger train rammed
light freight locomotive at 129th street and
the Harlem River. 1t was the first serious block
on the Central in long time. and came at an
unfortunate time OF the day. Several important
trains were held up.
The two north and two southbound tracks
were blocked, and the local service was greatly
impaired II was about two hours before all
four tracks were cleared. though temporary
line was opened through the wards at Mott
Haven. so that trains could be sent through
while the main lines were still blocked
The accident happened about o'clock when
local train No. 80, which left the Grand Central
station at asa p. m, bound for Poughkeepsie.
crashed into the locomotive which was being
switched across the northbound tracks into
the yards. The locomotive caught in a switch
with half its body projecting upon the line
used by the passenger train and before the en-
gineer of the local could apply the brakes his
Dig electric motor tore into the light locomotive
Both engines left the tracks. The two front
wheels Of the passenger engine were torn off
and the front badly damaged The four hundred
passengers on the train were joted, but no one
was hurt and both engineers escaped injury
The northbound tracks were not cleared upt
after o'clock, and trains in the Park avenue
tunnel and at the 125th street station were
held UP. large crowd vas forced to remain
waiting at the Grand Central and the Harlem
stations in consequence
The yard superintendent vas informed at
once. He hurried to the scene with seventy-five
laborers, who were about to quit work and be-
gan TO clear the wreckage and repair the tracks
which were torn up for about thirty feet. The
passenger train was backed 10 track No. to
rsT 49,
ceeded slowly northward TO the railroad
pair shops, at 15Sd street. where an emergency
locomotive vas attached and the train proceeded
on its way to Poughkeepsie at $40 p. m.
There was considerable excitement when the
news Of the collision spread. Several hundred
persons swarmed down the stairs at the Mott
Haven branch of the Young Mems Christian As
sociation. at Spencer place and 129th street. and
interfered in the work OF the wrecking crew
They were ordered away but refused To move
until squad of policemen from the Morrisana
station appeared. The crowd was sent upstairs
again and work resumed The light locomotive
was not put back on the track until about
o'clock
Trouble came in quick succession for the New
York Central lines Yesterday afternoon. Half an
hour before the collision at Mott Haven light
engine ran into the of freight train at
Ossining and blocked the road for about forty
hve minutes. The Southwestern and Lake Shore
Limited trains and the New Yorker were all
delayed. They proceeded later to Mott Haven
and were blocked there by the second accident.
H. E. WnIer, representative of the New York
Central said:
There really one at fault in either
case, and both were accidents which are bound
to occur occasionally in spite OF every precau-
tion. We are fortunate that the trains were
running slowly. and that no one was injured"