Head on Collision: The Doodlebug Train Disaster 

One small correction: The Akron Branch was not "double tracked," those areas of the line were also sidings like Silver Lake. My mistake. While Louis Fountain was a porter of the PRR, he was not one of the crew members on the turn around runs. Charles Bilderback was the baggagemaster who perished in the wreck. Footnotes: PRR had applied for approval and installation of a "CTC" (Centralized Traffic Control) system for the Akron Branch on August 20, 1940. It was approved by the ICC on September 12, 1940.

The monument at the end is a story in itself...myself and 2 other 7th graders (12 year olds!!) created this monument site from nothing. It was a school project to create a monument of something worthy...we realized no one had ever put a spotlight on this event and all the people who lost our lives. Somehow, a 3d model became a 6 foot granite monument that is still there and I'm now 30!

My Dad was in a store near the crash site with his father when the collision occurred. He told me about it at least once a year. He said the scene was worse than the horrors that he saw in the Marine Corps later in his life. It really left a mark on him. He and Gramps were both tough as nails, so I know the photos don't do justice to the carnage.

You Sir, are to be complimented in your impeccable presentation of the doodlebug disaster. Very thoroughly explained and easily understood, with no questions left unaswered, and respect paid to all the people involved and those that perished. A very noteworthy piece of journalism, and not the first of yours I have watched. All have been of this caliber and I look forward to more. Bravo !!

Also- just realized PRR must’ve named the south switch of the silver lake siding after the gentleman who had a piece strike through his car. “Payne” is what is on track charts and the Hudson CTC machine.

I commented this on Thunderbolts recent video on the doodlebug as well. The doodlebug memorial was one of my first eye openings to fatal rail accidents when I was young. I didn't realize it quite as much until now, but it lot a fire in me that has led me down the career path of rail accident investigation in the future soon. To learn and memorialize the past, and to make advancements towards preventing the like from occuring in the future is my dream. While tragic, lessons learned here have been applied to save countless lives from accidents that never happened. Too often in human history we move on from our past and don't learn anything from it. Out of tragity there is always a lesson. Thank you for the video and the deep historical look into this accident. I only wish more people from this area were more aware of this truly tragic accident

This accident so easily could have been avoided, hearing this story now sends a cold shiver down your spine 🥶🥶

July 31st, 1940 5:58 p.m. Pennsylvania I1 freight locomotive 4454 slammed into the Doodlebug 4648. 3 crewmembers survived and involving injured.

I never heard of doodlebugs until now. As tragic as the event was it’s an interesting piece of history. Thank you 😊

Incredibly thorough and well done documentary of the Doodlebug Disaster. A seamless account of the chronological events leading up to, including and after the accident, as well as, thoughtful imagery.

82 years ago today. Thankfully we are keeping their memory alive.

My Dad first told me about this collision. I used to hang out at that interlocking in the early 1970s and try to chat with the Penn Central crews.

Crazy to think i live 150 ft from where this happened and had no idea

Another great video, Railroad Street.

Me and my 11 year old son are digging your channel

Drive by the site everyday, actually donated for the memorial a lady I dated son was involved with the memorial.

Best video yet! Nice job adding new effects.

Excellent article. Well presented.

Being a history buff I'm glad to have found your videos.you do a fantastic job with background and narrative great job bill feilhauer

Matt, this is fantastic! Thanks for making this incredible documentary. (I had the pleasure of meeting you and your dad on Sat the 7th when you came in to gather information at the Historical Society.) We are all impressed! You are very talented, great work!

This was very well done and the corrections in the comments are appreciated!

The silver lake siding is completely gone and ran right along where the silver lake elementary school is.

Great video! Are the photos from Pennsylvania Railroad historical society available online? Would love to see more!

Impressive work. I see a bright future for you in journalism or some form of media, maybe creating documentaries.

Great video

Very well put together & interesting video to tell a tragic story. If you ever have time the story of the Wreck of the Old 97 could use a similar level of respect & attention to detail on RU-vid

Thanks!

Nice video. Can you do the derailment at Snyder Ave in Barberton which left a conductor dead

My father talked about the Doodlebug that ran to his town. His sister, my aunt, told me that once the conductor came to my grandmother's seat and told her that my father was smoking cigarettes on the rear platform. He was about 10 years old. My aunt said "she yanked a knot in him".

There is a I-10 locomotive still around in upstate NY, Its no 4483 and was a sister of 4454 involved in the wreck.

Awesome video explaining the disaster! The engineer of the doodle was affected by carbon monoxide poisoning, which can cause lots of problems to your health, even death.

My mom was living on Margarete Ave. in the Falls when her friend showed up telling her about the wreck. They walked down to see what was going on. Mom told me that she had nightmares for many nights after seeing the chard bodies hanging out of the doodlebug's windows.

With the energy of the trains impacting head on shearing all of the carriage seating and slamming them into a pile at the front of the carriage, the unfortunate occupants will most probably have been rendered unconscious. This was merciful because by the time the flames reached them they wouldn't have suffered or experienced any pain or fear. This was borne out by the statements that no cries ever came from the carriage at any time. Its a tragedy that such a thing is a blessing, but whilst the people died, knowing that they were immediately unconscious and didn't have any knowledge of their horrific situation is of great significance for the bereaved families whose beloved family members died. The poor Conductor whose hand and leg had to be amputated suffered terribly. I feel too for those tasked with extracting the smashed and incinerated human remains from the wreckage of the carriage, a more hideous task I can't imagine. I hope they didn't suffer what we now know to be PTSD, because that was a gruesome task to undertake in horrendous circumstances. Crew and passenger safety within the transport industry has often been improved after terrible, deadly tragedies, rather than being improved to actually prevent such tragedies from occuring...

Is that pic at 4:37 actually silver siding? Very well done video.

I ran my motorcycle in my garage with only the small door opened. I quickly became drowsy, turned off the engine, and got outta there. The poor engineer was just trying to do his job. Old school.

Lot of almost identical doodlebug wrecks like that. Those things were death traps.

There is a man in Fairbluff NC has an antique contraption that connects to a balloon tire bicycle like an outrigger that has a smaller version of a train wheel. He said he worked for the railroad as a young man and bought it from a widow.

So since the switch was not manned, and was manual, was the doodlebug supposed to stop short, the conductor jump out, the doodlebug move forward onto the siding, and then the conductor switch it back for the extra to pass?

Harry was a hero as far as I am concerned for running to Tod and letting him know - The only thing that I wonder is, why not yell to everyone as he's running back "WE ARE GOING TO CRASH, GET OUT!" I know not everyone would get out, but I'd hope a few would also hit the doors before the explosion... although I guess, and pray, that they all went quick as soon as the trains hit, and they were relaxed... a true nightmare, I'd rather be on the Titanic

Good documentary. C0 poisoning makes sense.

You sound familiar, sound a lot like Thunderbolt 1000?

Mine too

A cynic would be struck by the fact that the three survivors were the three PRR employees who jumped clear in the nick of time.

The thing I've never understood about the carbon monoxide theory is that the engine compartment was at the opposite end of the Doodlebug from the collision end, separated by the baggage compartment. Normal railroad operating procedure would have called for the doors between the engine and baggage sections and the baggage and passenger sections to both be closed. Not exactly air-tight seals, but still more than enough to block most noxious fumes that would have been coming from the gasoline engine. So how bad was the ventilation in this car if despite these multiple barriers and assuming the exhaust stacks on top of the engine were working properly and not damaged or blocked, that so much carbon monoxide could build up inside the car as to impair driver Monaugh's mental faculties to the degree he claims? Further, why did such a dangerous buildup of gas not seem to affect conductor Schafer or section man Wonn, either as badly or at all? Heck, if there was that much gas spreading through the whole car, surely one of the passengers would have complained of the foul smell or feeling sick. If it had been traveling engine-first, this would all make perfect sense. But photos of the aftermath show that it clearly wasn't. So how could the whole car have filled with carbon monoxide gas in only 9 minutes and yet driver Monaugh, who was as far away from the engine as physically possible, was the only one affected? It just raises too many questions.

not Pullman built....Brill and GE built

As a former railway accident investigator I would put the majority of the blame on the Railroad for instituting such a hazardous system.