NOTE: the LIRR MU as you can see in the top picture if yo zoom in, is being pulled by a MTH LIRR RS1.
That is because the MTH LIRR MU engine is a POS...
During construction of my layout, which depicts the Park Avenue (Harlem Cut) before it was filled in, during the 1880s early 1890s, a disaster struck!
AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN
The Daily News reports, that there was a horrible derailment inside the 4th Avenue (Park Ave) tunnel tonight.
The railroad has been under criticism for years, with passengers and trainmen complaining of poor visibility due to smoke, steam, and soot from the NYC&HRR Steam Engines between Grand Central and the 4th Avenue (Park Ave) Viaduct.
And now another disaster has struck, leading many to believe that the construction of the new tunnel, needs to be reviewed.
For at about 6:15pm local time, a Long Island Railroad electric MU was traveling on an adjacent line that passes the 4th Avenue tunnel, where it branches off towards Grand Central Terminal (Depot), when the accident happened.
The passengers say that as they were half way thru the tunnel on the LIRR branch, approaching the Grand Central turn out, a horrible and unusual sound was heard, and the whole train seemed to vibrate and then slow down almost to a crawl.
Conductor William Hardhet, describes what happened next:
"Just as I said turned to collect a ticket, the train shuddered, then slowed, and just when I thought we were going to stop, there was a heart pounding lurch forward, and then a very unusual rushing sound like a passing train, passengers were looking out the window, and as I looked for myself, I saw our last car hurling down the Grand Central branch towards the station like a rocket!"
According to the engineer on the helpless NYC&HRR 4-4-0 locomotive that was awaiting to depart Grand Central:
"We were making ready to leave, when I heard a train approaching, and by golly a lone LIRR MU car was streaking down the tracks towards us!"
Luckily, there was no damage to the runaway MU or the Locomotive it crashed into, nor were there any injuries to the passengers of the MU or the crew of the waiting Locomotive.
One witness who was walking down the street along the cut, said he had just looked into the cut, and into the tunnel, when he thought he saw going around the LIRR branch that curves thru an adjacent part of the tunnel, a 3 car LIRR MU train, but the last MU car was detached from it, and on a totally different track, having somehow jumped the switch, and taking a route along the Grand Central main towards the terminal itself:
"I saw that car come down that track towards the two trains in the station, and I fell to my knees, put my hands over my ears, and ducked..there was a loud bang, and when I looked up, lots of dust and dirt being thrown about".
Railroad officials were quickly on the scene, as well as a track crew to get the 3 car LIRR MU inspected and its passengers removed to other transportation.
The remaining 3 cars of the LIRR MU also suffered a derailment of some of its cars as a result as well.
A reporter also got into a bit of trouble getting too close to the scene, and had to be warned off by a railroad official.
The head of the emergency team at the site said it was a miracle no one was hurt, but passengers seemed upset anyway:
"I spilled my coffee all over my newspaper and lost my eyeglasses"!
Said one upset passenger...while another passenger was overheard saying she lost her false teeth.
Several children were later seen taking turns making funny faces as they showed off wearing the womans false teeth, and soon a chase ensued, with the old woman threatening them with her cane.
Another man had milk shoot out of his nose, as he was drinking from a carton, due to the force of the cars lurching from the crash.
Repairs will commence at first light, and we will provide an update in the Daily News Morning Edition.
