Caption: An image such as this brings the real meaning out "She was as ugly as a train wreck" because major wrecks really can be a mess. But, unfortunately, they are a fact of railroading.
On August 5, 1978 CN's #387 was Hamilton-bound from Niagara when it hit an open switch. CN 9404, 4523, 4524 and 4573 piled up along with a considerable number of cars. This image is from August 7th, as late day spectators (a line in the background on the right)watch the cleanup in progress. Track in foreground was once part of the line that ran over the Burlington Beach strip. It was severed when the S.Ck traffic circle on the QEW was removed back in the 1970s.
As much as Lac Megantic has been at the front of the railroad news this year, I feel there were a lot more derailments in the past. In a short stretch I recall major ones at Simcoe, at CN Robbins, at Grimsby, Aldershot and Burlington. No, they did not all get a visit from me.
This derailment was blamed on vandals cutting into the lock at the switch, mile 37.6 Grimsby Sub.
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I took a picture of 4573 in 1980 at PSC shop and had never known where it happened,now i do..