1853 West Virginia rail disaster

1853 train derailment in West Virginia February 2024 1853 West Virginia rail disaster Guide to Baltimore and Ohio railroad (1874) (14574600119).jpg Illustration of the bridge near where the accident occurred 1853 03 27 3 p.m. near Rowlesburg, West Virginia Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (now Mountain Subdivision) Derailment Poor rail quality 1 50 8–17 25–40 List of rail accidents (before 1880) A Baltimore and Ohio Railroad train derailed near Rowlesburg, West Virginia in March 1853. Incident The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was completed west to Wheeling, West Virginia, in January 1853.Sibray David B&O Railroad completed to Wheeling on Jan. 1, 1853 https://wvexplorer.com/2018/01/01/bo-railroad-completed-wheeling-jan-1-1853/ West Virginia Explorer January 2018 August 5, 2024 The line descended 116 feet from Tunnelton to cross the Cheat River at Rowlesburg. On March 27, 1853, a two-engine train with three passenger cars and a baggage car was headed eastbound from Wheeling. Around 3:00 pm, while descending the Cheat River grade, the spikes holding the ties to the rails came loose. Two passenger cars fell about 100 feet down the side of the river valley.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-republic/191105958/ The Daily Republic Distressing Railroad Accident March 29, 1853 3 Newspapers.com The initial death toll was listed as 8; later sources claim 17 deaths.Rada Jr. James Looking Back 1853: Passengers die on B&O Railroad https://www.times-news.com/news/local_news/looking-back-1853-passengers-die-on-b-o-railroad/article_60cfcdac-d78a-11ec-af40-fbe80923bcc8.html August 5, 2024 Cumberland-Times News May 20, 2022 It was the first time in the history of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad that passengers perished as the result of an accident.Mansfield E.D. Railroad Record and Journal of Commerce, Banking, Manufactures and ..., Volume 2 1854–55 T. Wrightson & Co. Cincinnati 134 2nd https://books.google.com/books?id=Cvj5VAjY15AC&dq=march+1853+wheeling+west+virginia+train+crash&pg=PA134 August 5, 2024 References Category:Railway accidents in 1853 Category:Derailments in the United States