On the Edge of Disaster: Vintage Train Wrecks in Stunning Detail

[@roleplayingpain4349]

You aren't just witnessing train wrecks here. You are witnessing freedom. Note how the people went where they wanted and nobody stopped them.

[@davidt8438]

You hit the nail on the head.

[@roleplayingpain4349]

@@davidt8438 thanks for helping create an amazing little ironic moment for me man lol. Were your ears ringing or something when you wrote this comment? about an hour ago I was downtown at a jobsite and was having a conversation with a security guard from Nigeria. He was telling me that 'Nigeria is like pure freedom in comparison where you can just do whatever you like and basically noone cares. And Canada is just all rules and nonsense.' I told him I agreed and that I like watching youtube vids about old pics because they highlight north america when there was still such freedom. I made an example about how you can look at a pic of an old train wreck and people are climbing on it for pics. I had long forgotten this comment. I get home and there is this notification of your reply. You commented on a comment I made at probably around the exact same time I was making basically the exact same comment to a guard :mindblown:

[@mistermuso2734]

Let's be honest, none of us searched for this but we all found it strangely riveting

[@stephaniegiacco7524]

EXACTLY

[@Paulftate]

​@@stephaniegiacco7524let's go Brandon

[@katies6426]

Yup

[@Paulftate]

FJB I stand with Trump

[@terryatpi]

You do like train wrecks

[@jasonrodgers9063]

IMAGINE how difficult it would have been back then to deal with the aftermath of these wrecks! Hard ENOUGH today!

[@RealSassieCassie1.0-to2cm]

They make it hard.

[@WilliamCooper-l6f]

A lot of people don't understand why towns are often close to each other. This was due to how far a steam 🚂 engine could travel before it needed to take on more water. After all these water stops were built, the steam engine improved, causing some of these water stops to disappear, no longer serving any purpose. Once the diesel-electric engine (a diesel engine spinning an electric turbine, providing electricity to a large electric motor) replaced steam, even more of these water stop towns completely disappeared or regressed into mere villages or for ranch use. Locations that were strategically useful for the railroad thrived and grew. The second most important thing about these pictures, is the high cost that it took to build this country into the superpower that it became. We have activists today, who want to erase this history of sacrifice, struggle, hardship, and death from the books and replace it all with nothing but racism, oppression, guilt, and shame. They, who have invested absolutely nothing into this society, see it as their duty, to destroy our society and remake it into their warped image and the first place they start their attack, is our history. Thank you History Lounge for being a true guardian of our history and heritage and we salute you, sir.

[@Go4Corvette]

And just think of the equipment it takes to lift those heavy locomotives weighing tons. Thanks for the video history.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Thanks for watching!

[@nameless5512]

Why is the Texas the image for the first wreck? Wasn’t that a shot from 1926 from Buster Keaton’s; “The General” Movie?

[@debtshredder4928]

I don't know about any of the others, but the first photograph is a still from Buster Keaton's "The General" his Civil War film made in 1927. The wreck was staged for the film using a real locomotive, a real bridge and a real fire. Obviously, a one-take scene.

[@tomt9543]

I cried foul the second I saw that, because the W&A wasn’t in Oregon! Now where they actually filmed the wreck might have been in Oregon! Enquiring minds want to know!, lol

[@tomt9543]

The New England states were evidently quite good at this!

[@sturmovik1274]

I just re-watched that a few nights ago. And, yes, it was filmed in Oregon.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

You are correct on this image. I debated whether or not it should be included, but since it was actually (as you mentioned) a real train/real bridge/and a real fire, I thought it was legit enough to use. The other photos were not staged.

[@harishwala5882]

Hello from India 🇮🇳. U R absolutely right. Congrats 💐

[@ultrastew]

The derailment titled Michigan Central Station is actually Ann Arbor Michigan

[@johnuhelski8613]

The shot at AnnArbor , MI was a classic , I spent many hours there as a kid . Never saw steam there , but lots of early Diesels !!

[@kleetus92]

0:58 that wreck is somewhere on the PRR system as that was a K4 Pacific buried in the mud. If I had to guess, somewhere near Harrisburg by the Susquehanna river in the 1930's or early 40's.

[@davidmachado432]

Just joined your site. Outstanding. Your photos are worth 10,000 words.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Hey, David - Thanks for subscribing and for taking the time to share your kind words. I really appreciate it. Welcome!

[@bobjohnston8316]

I’d like to see a follow on of the wreck trains and the “big hooks” cleaning up the messes.

[@tomt9543]

I know! Only got a glimpse of a New Haven tea kettle, probably 100 ton hook. Of course back then, most equipment wasn’t nearly as big as todays rolling stock!

[@peterruddick1952]

Had to watch this when I saw the train with "Monon" on the side. Sure enough, it was the same railway that gave its name to the Indianapolis Monon Trail, which was converted for outdoor exercise, I learned to roller blade there in the 90's

[@brucestaples4510]

Thank you once again, Kevin. Another fine compilation. And, as always, the music sets the mood (that third song, Intractable, feels like an old friend, having heard it before in some of your other vids). Oh yeah, Happy New Year! 🎉🍾

[@tomriedel3964]

Das mit der Musik, geht mir genauso.....ab Minute 6.00 fühle ich mich wieder sehr wohl 😊... und Erinnerungen an die Car Crash Videos kommen in mir hoch.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Hey Bruce - Glad you liked it! It's funny about that song, Intractable - A lot of people comment on it. Some really like it and some really hate it. It's an unusual tune. A viewer once referred to it as an "earworm," which I tend to agree with. Somehow, it just seems to fit so well in videos like this one. Happy Belated New Year to you too!!!

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Ich bekomme immer die interessantesten Kommentare zu diesem einen Song. Vielen Dank, dass Sie sich meine Videos angesehen und sich die Zeit für einen Kommentar genommen haben!

[@davidhull1481]

As a kid in the early 60’s I would visit my grandparents house and view the old steriopticons they had. Most of them were of train wrecks. Bet they’d be valuable now.

[@cheekymonkey444]

The first image was from the movie "The General" with Buster Keaton. The film producer purchased three Civil War vintage steam locomotives, had them rebuilt, to use in the film.

[@Voucher765]

The locomotive in the 1940 pic is a heavy Mikado, It was Lima built and featured at brute look

[@SeattleBoatdog]

I miss the old days when the whole town would come out to pose with the carnage

[@skadill]

Neat side of history. No graffiti vandalism on train cars back then.

[@tim3172]

Did you consider that aerosol spray paint was invented in 1951? The lack of ability to graffiti might have led to the lack of graffiti; as it seems all of these wrecks were before that invention.

[@stevedickson5853]

​@tim3172 also people we're perhaps less stupid than to graffiti a train back then.

[@Bill_D.]

Plenty of railroad police with nightsticks who used them for trespassers and vandals.

[@charleskramer7062]

@@stevedickson5853Nope. People did all sorts of vandalism back then, too. They just hadn’t gotten around to train cars. People were no better back then, that’s for sure.

[@cliffleigh7450]

The photo at 2:09 where the loco ran off the coal stage was taken in Victoria, Australia.

[@FurthermoreJack]

The old soft trumpet really set the tone

[@tomriedel3964]

Danke wie immer für diese faszinierenden Fotos in top Qualität......und ab Minute 6.00 min.....mit meiner Lieblinsmusik , die auch bei den Car Crash Videos immer läuft. THX.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Und nochmals vielen Dank an Sie fürs Zuschauen und Kommentieren!

[@ronwoods7778]

The accident at the 2:10 mark occurred on 13 April 1904, when B class no 110 overshot the coal stage at Seymour, Victoria, Australia.

[@robertchapman6795]

Beat me to it! 👍

[@railtrolley]

@@robertchapman6795 And me. The only VR accident photo in the video.

[@webstercat]

I’d be interested in seeing how they were able to remove and cleaning up the wreckage

[@harri2626]

I dread to think how many staff and passengers lost their lives in these wrecks. The first image was, of course, a staged wreck for the Buster Keaton film "The General". The wreck at 6m.34s was at Maze Hill near Greenwich, London in 1958. Luckily the train ran into a rake of empty electric multiple units and the driver was unhurt.

[@Derpy1969]

I can’t wait for these trains to get dash cams so we can see how this happened.

[@sturmovik1274]

Ironically, most freight engines in the United States are now required to have forward-facing cameras for accident investigation and insurance.

[@6omega2]

You look at some of these and scratch your head and say: "How the Hell did they manage THAT?!?"

[@stevedickson5853]

In some cases by managing not to stop.

[@sturmovik1274]

I remember reading a report by federal regulators about a wreck in Colorado sometime in the 20s in which they somehow managed to stand a passenger coach on end. Sadly, it eventually fell before it could be photographed.

[@АлексейКолпаков-о2х]

В первом кадре, 1927 года, была сцена из фильма ,,Генерал".

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Yo this is a really good channel dude, thanks for entertaining me on this random Tuesday night, got a lil doobie burning with me in my time machine : )

[@realstihl2105]

Awesome video!!!!! Thank you

[@TheHistoryLounge]

I'm glad you liked it - thank you for your kind comments!

[@suelynnthompson7821]

Love trains. Sad to see all these accidents

[@laptopschinveld54]

Same

[@patriciahill4492]

Sad to see? Then why are you watching it? 😂

[@suelynnthompson7821]

Part of history.

[@philpape1633]

je vois que tu ne peux pas t'empêcher de nous mettre le titre "intractable" j'adore

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Oui. Cette chanson en particulier semble bien correspondre à des vidéos comme celle-ci.

[@siddrajput1029]

How did they clean up the mess?

[@stevedickson5853]

With a lot of cursing.

[@jensschroder8214]

If a steam locomotive tips over, the fire must be put out. The water no longer surrounds the firebox, causing it to overheat. Even worse if the locomotive tips over at the front, all the water shoots forward away from the firebox.

[@Poisson4147]

Add in wooden cars and what could *possibly* go wrong ... 😢

[@wesbrackmanthercenthusiast4695]

0:23 that boiler explosion happened outside Chillicothe ohio along us st rt 23 between the Whits frozen custard and the McDonald's

[@patriciahill4492]

I so enjoyed this video, especially the music. And thank you for not talking through it. 🦋🌷🌾😊

[@patsalas5170]

2 excellent movies ...Runaway train (1985) and Unstoppable (2010)

[@patsalas5170]

​@@sommebuddyok...but great movies to watch 😂🤷‍♀️ and unstoppable was based on a true event

[@tim3172]

@Dave67user-tc5km2nc6e They were...[mentally prepare (oneself) to do or face something difficult]..ing art using the trains?

[@michaellavrich4911]

That's Emporer of the North Pole, and it is a fantastic movie with lots of railroad action.@Dave67user-tc5km2nc6e

[@fordfairlane662dr]

I like old train videos

[@keepinitrealjj]

Stunning photos! Thank you for sharing these.

[@robertchapman6795]

The Paris crash took one life. The newspaper vendors wife came to give him a break. While he was gone, the accident occurred, landing on his wife at the newsstand. 😢

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Thanks for adding this extra information! This is a very famous crash, and there's a lot of information about it. I had read that everyone on board had survived, but I hadn't read about the lady at the news stand.

[@tsegulin]

Great pix, thanks. I must give a huge shout-out to the colorization. This usually looks pretty terrible on YT - especially for moving footage which is much harder to colorize than stills. The colorization here usually looks pretty natural and really sells the shot. Great work.

[@MagnetOnlyMotors]

Nice colourizing . 😊

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Thank you!

[@GeneralLeeStudiosBrian]

should do more of these as there are tons of images like these out there and some are from modern day too

[@jasonnelson1824]

I find this eerie but I can’t look away. The music is soothing.

[@Scopedmunster-clips]

People seem to have a fascination with standing on derailed trains

[@daviscampbell9020]

King Kong syndrome climb on top of the biggest thing.

[@bobjohnston8316]

I wish that there were also pictures of the wreck train and what railroaders called the “big hook” cleaning up the messes.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Someone else mentioned this too. I do have some of those photos as well. Maybe I can do a follow up video. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@davidkimmel4216]

Thank you

[@redwolfpiping5701]

The PRR Woodbridge NJ train wreck was the second largest wreck in US history, with the Circus Train wreck of 1918, the Hagenbeck-Wallice show, that wreck killed 86 and not one vicim could be identified, the Woodbridge wreck claimed a little over 80 due to several facors, one being speed, the other, the K4S' tender was not properly secured to the frame, actualy causing the derailment

[@SuperLittleTyke]

How was the wreckage from the earliest crashes removed without modern cranes?

[@landshark7583]

Railroads almost from the beginning had their own crane cars built once the engines and rolling stock got too heavy to lift with block and tackle and wood frames. They would also remove parts to make them lighter. Eventually some cranes could lift over 200 tons and were self propelled. But the big steam powered freight engines were often over a million pounds, and sometimes when one wrecked, 2 or even 3 of those big cranes were not enough. Then they would cut the engine into 2 or 3 pieces and drag those, up, take them to the shop and put the engine back together.

[@Beatlefan67]

Slowly...

[@ابوسارةابوسارة-ز6د]

فعلا لنكن صادقين لم يلحث احدأ منا عن هذا ولاكن وجدناة بصدفة جميعا وجدناة مثيرا للاهتمام بشكل غريب ❤❤❤❤❤❤ ‏‪2:03‬‏

[@ronm6585]

Thanks.

[@johnwatson8323]

Thank you ❤

[@TheHistoryLounge]

You’re very welcome - I’m glad you liked the video!

[@GermanShepherd1983]

I wish there was information given on what caused these wrecks, etc. Pics are worthless without the story

[@NecroViolator]

At 2:40 the front of the locomotive exploded due to someone putting water into the locomotive while the boiler was to hot if I remember correctly. Only one I know of, sorry :(

[@landshark7583]

Actually the explosion was at the rear of the engine, by the front of the cab. This usually happens because the fireman let the water level in the boiler get too and the metal at the top of the firebox gets too hot and gives way and lets water and steam into the firebox. This sudden drop in pressure causes all of the remaining water in the boiler to instantly flash into steam, expanding 1,700 times in the process. (There was probably close to 2,000 gallons left in the one seen here when it blew. That's a lot of expanding.) Some expanding steam blows into the cab, almost always killing the crew. The rest goes out the same way the smoke does, or anywhere air is let in for the fire. Sometimes it just blows the boiler to pieces. The steam here mostly went out the way the smoke does, and the shock wave blew the front off of the engine and shoved those heavy steel pipes out of the flues they were in on its way out.

[@Dracsmolar]

Dutchman’s curve Nashville Tennessee july 9 1918 deadliest wreck in U S railway accidents.

[@HenChongmingDeRen]

I can't believe most of these disasters aren't documented, as if the suffering of these people weren't important enough.

[@vincecrysler3821]

Boston seemed to be a dangerous place to ride the train in the 20's and 30's!!

[@AK-10001]

LOOKING HER DOWN ITS BREAKS MY HEART I LOVE HER SO MUCH😢😥

[@bellowphone]

This proves that it's a bad idea for a train to take a dirt road.

[@75Veritas]

That's really nice music at the intro? Who is it? Great video also! I love trains!!

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Hey, @75Veritas - Thanks for your comments, sorry for the delay in responding. The intro song in this one is called, "Last Train to Mars," by Dan Lebowitz.

[@neumoi3324]

I world’ve like to know if the drivers of any of the capsized engines survive. Some of them are perched in an impossible position from which rescue was impossible.

[@W7DSY]

Hey, if I ever become a time-traveler, I'm staying away from Boston. Just sayin'

[@WBDE]

If there is a followup video I would suggest including the pictures of the 1953 Washington Union Station disaster where a Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 electric locomotive lost its brakes and crashed into the concourse of Union Station in Washington DC and ended up in the basement

[@Poisson4147]

That wreck was the inspiration for the diesel crash in _Silver Streak._

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@garymahon1955]

Horrendous. i feel for the people involved. Many died and horrible injuries. Very dangerous job in those cabs.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Very true.

[@warrenhennessy7684]

😅Not that I like Train wreaks Steam engines or any ather for that matter 😢 God bless you all and to the people who where in these crasers 🐱🐱😻😻👧👧🇦🇺🇦🇺🐶🐶🐕🐕🤠🤠✝️✝️🦘🦘🐨🐨🐈🐈🤨🤨🚂🚂🚂🚂❤️❤️❤️❤️🦄🦄 Warren and Ingrid Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@stephenrice4554]

World class brown trousers moments

[@ypaulbrown]

well done

[@Jennifer-K5LA]

Hmmmmm...seems to be a lot of Mikados on the ground in these. Wonder if the 2-8-2 wheel arrangement had tracking problems?

[@nicholasmarino1733]

Hi gang, gravity ALWAYS wins!!!!!

[@mosquito7459]

Paris 1895 ,une victime à déplorer ,la marchande du kiosque à journaux placé derrière le butoir de fin de voies ,freinage trop tardif

[@davidfoose5899]

Years ago at the Iowa State Fair, train wrecks were staged for the fair attendees. Two locomotives were placed facing each other on the same track how about a mile apart, and run into each other at full speed with the audience a safe distance away.

[@Yaboicamarama]

The 519 one reminds me of Samson from the brave locomotive

[@anagingrebel6229]

I love this channel (and the music isn't so bad either). But it seems like after watching this particular video, Massachusetts, (more specifically Boston), has had more than their share of train wrecks.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Thanks for your comments. To be fair, it may just be that Boston had more than their share of train wreck photography!

[@anagingrebel6229]

@@TheHistoryLounge Excellent point!

[@stevedickson5853]

Massachusetts didn't half get it with train wrecks it seems .

[@fire58372001]

Oh Shit! Is the first thing that comes to mind. Then Thank God it's Friday.

[@ЛЬВИНИ]

Very nice, like!!!

[@shaziahayat9801]

The train has a soul that’s why it even exists in society

[@tomrogers9467]

Right! And Thomas and Friends were real too!

[@ИринаРатникова-т7п]

Сколько было в мире катастроф и сколько еще случится 😢

[@AndreiAndreev56]

Было!Есть! И будет!!Увы!!

[@jamesgroccia644]

3:52 This was not in Paris. You can even see on the sign this was at the French West Line terminus in Montparnasse.

[@SirThanksalot_1]

the station is called Paris-Montparnasse, it is currently located inside the highway ring of Paris (or how would you call this in the US), The station is located less than 3km (2 miles) from the Eiffel tower. So much for not being Paris.

[@OtterMan310]

This should've included the 1920 crash of Portland, OR where 2 SP red electric trains crashed head-on. The worst part is that both operators knew each other, and one of them died

[@peterrichard3706]

Was looking for the great train wreck in Thompson CT.

[@ironvulture2015]

I was looking for the cannonball wreck

[@rotunda57]

@@ironvulture2015 Was that near Hooterville?

[@ironvulture2015]

no, the Casey Jones cannonball wreck was in Vaughan Mississippi@@rotunda57

[@sturmovik1274]

If you're looking for the Casey Jones wreck, be aware that the term "cannonball" in this context will probably get you results on a folk song called the "Wabash Cannonball" about a fictional express through the Midwest. Jones's run was called a "cannonball", but that was only slang for a very fast express.@@ironvulture2015

[@flashrocket9158]

the first image was from the film "The Fugitive".

[@SouRwy4501Productions]

2:40 I didn’t know that the Monongahela Railroad had Southern Railway mikados.

[@jorgeleon1298]

Extraordinario 🚂🚃🚃🚃

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Thank you!

[@sakeeler]

Norfolk Southern: The Early Days...

[@Charles-q4t8y]

That ine at the station 😮wonder hiw that happened,snd thise ines coming through walls of buildings😮

[@tomclarke1768]

So..... it's best we avoid travelling by rail anywhere near Boston, Massachusetts then?

[@Poisson4147]

At least on trains pulled by steam locomotives.

[@oliverstreet7704]

How did he miss the GG1 in Union Station in Washington DC?

[@JohnDavies-cn3ro]

One or two 'classic' photos (Paris and Dublin) in there. One you didn't caption - the Wainwright C class 0-6-0 hit by an electric train (towards the end of the compilation) was on the outskirts of London in the mid 1950's, due (I think) to a driver's error. The Manchester 1953 smash is one I've not heard of (I live in GB) but it looks like a bad derailment.

[@LordoftheBadgers]

Thank you for finding the southern one out!

[@kevinmothers904]

The 0-6-0 collision occured on the 4th July 1958 at Maze Hill when the 09.41 EMU from Gravesend to Charing Cross ran past the Up Home signal and hit an empty stock train of 9 coaches being slowly shunted by ex Southern 31461 injuring over 40 people, there were no fatalities. The 1902 built 31461 was withdrawn on the 31st August 1958 and disposed of.

[@dwightbernheimer331]

Seems Boston Massachusetts had More than its share of accidents... Good stuff, thanks for posting... Would have been nice to have a little more detail on those crashes... Just sayin...😂😂😂😂

[@bobjohnston8316]

A lot of their pictures were shot in an around Boston. They apparently have access to an archive of what were no doubt professionally shot pictures taken by a newspaper photographer.

[@dwightbernheimer331]

@@bobjohnston8316 thank you

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Thanks for watching and thanks for the suggestion on adding more info next time. I do plan to begin adding more informational commentary in future videos.

[@dilipbade6145]

बहोत ही दुःखद व्हिडिओ है. मै कोयलेके इंजनकी गाडीसे बहोत सफर किया हूआ है..

[@dustbowlhammer7119]

Amazing how people let their kids take a picture standing on top of the wreck xDD. 1:55

[@MachenLand]

5:23 is that an Orion (Star Trek) pictured at the bottom left?! 😆

[@Simple_experiments]

A very strange picture of the event is observed at 4:50. I wonder if there are any details of this incident?

[@sturmovik1274]

Don't know any specific details, but that's a clear rear-end collision. The engine hit the caboose, forced it upwards and ripped its floor out. That was a well-known danger of wooden cars in collisions; I expect everyone was glad it wasn't a passenger car (that time).

[@ФолкоБрендискок]

Грустные моменты. Правила техники безопасности нарушать нельзя.

[@christianhagelien8132]

Hey Kevin! Great video😊 How can i contact you?

[@ChristopherOvrebo]

Why no pictures of the 1885 Shonash ravine wreck?

[@Paulftate]

Damn toot-toot hit a mud hole

[@lennyhendricks4628]

What? No Diesel wrecks? By this time the ATSF hanging out of the end of LAUPT certainly must be considered classic by now. When was it? 50's? 60's? 70's at the latest I would think.

[@sturmovik1274]

1948

[@suesmith3744]

How on earth did they clear the debris in those days ❓

[@steveashcraft718]

They had steam cranes in those days. Nevada Northern railroad still has one in service.

[@krisone5253]

Thank Goodness for Modern Photography that these images are burned into life Forever now with AI. Back then, it was painstakingly to produce pictures. Eastman Kodak was the First for instant pictures!