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The Wreck of the Broker: The Woodbridge Train Disaster of 1951

Part-Time Explorer・49 minutes read

A deadly train crash in 1951 led to 85 deaths in Woodbridge, New Jersey, with investigations pointing to excessive speed as the primary cause, leaving a lasting impact on the community and survivors. Historians are now using Unreal Engine 5 technology to reconstruct the wreckage and uncover the truth behind this tragic event.

Insights

  • Historians are using Unreal Engine 5 technology to reconstruct the 1951 Woodbridge train crash, blending survivors' accounts and historical research to uncover the truth behind the disaster.
  • Investigations revealed excessive speed as the main cause of the crash, leading to casualties primarily in cars three and four, with the locomotive engineer, Joseph Fitz Simmons, facing public condemnation and guilt, retiring early, and eventually passing away troubled by the tragic event.

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Recent questions

  • What caused the Woodbridge train crash?

    Excessive speed and derailment due to construction.

  • How did survivors describe the train crash?

    Witnesses described chaos, darkness, and rescue efforts.

  • Who were the key figures on the train?

    Engineer Joseph Fitz Simmons and passengers like Victor Vino.

  • What impact did the disaster have on the community?

    The disaster left lasting scars and led to safety recommendations.

  • How is the Woodbridge train disaster being revisited?

    Historians are using Unreal Engine 5 to reconstruct the wreckage.

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Summary

00:00

Woodbridge Train Crash: Revisiting 1951 Disaster

  • On February 6th, 1951, a deadly train crash occurred on Falton Street in Woodbridge, New Jersey, resulting in 85 deaths and numerous injuries.
  • The crash was attributed to excessive speed, but investigations failed to provide conclusive answers.
  • Utilizing Unreal Engine 5 technology, historians are reconstructing the wreckage to delve into the 73-year-old case and uncover the truth.
  • The Woodbridge train disaster of 1951 is being revisited with the help of survivors' accounts and historical research.
  • The disaster had a profound impact on the Woodbridge Township community, leaving lasting scars on those affected.
  • The train line passing through Woodbridge was shared by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York and Long Branch Railroad.
  • The Pennsylvania Railroad ran two trains, the Broker and the Banker, catering to commuters from New York City's Financial District.
  • The Broker's crew consisted of engineer Joseph Fitz Simmons, fireman Albert Patty Dunn, and head conductor John Bishop, among others.
  • Construction projects and a labor strike on the day of the disaster led to increased commuter traffic and a larger train size for the Broker.
  • The train departed from Jersey City with a significant number of passengers, including those affected by the Jersey Central Railroad strike, leading to overcrowding.

17:01

Tragic Train Derailment in Woodbridge Station

  • Victor Vino, Beverly Borman, and a friend were at Penn Station, deciding to board a crowded train to Red Bank.
  • The train departed at 5:26, heading towards South Amboy, with passengers napping after a long day.
  • The sixth car of the train experienced darkness due to malfunctioning lights.
  • Approaching Woodbridge station, the train faced an uphill grade, leading to an increase in throttle by Fitz Simmons.
  • The train, unable to slow down, derailed at a sharp curve near a construction site.
  • Witnesses like Anthony Austine and Frank Leento described the aftermath of the crash in Woodbridge.
  • Passengers like John Ryan found themselves trapped in overturned train cars.
  • Rescue efforts involved welders like Harry Leber cutting through steel to free survivors.
  • The arrival of a fire truck with a tall ladder aided in rescuing passengers from the mangled train cars.
  • Investigations by the ICC and the Pu revealed excessive speed as the primary cause of the disaster.

34:04

Train wreck reveals passengers' reading material.

  • The wrecked train had newspapers and magazines scattered on the floor, revealing what passengers were reading when the disaster occurred.
  • Most of the p70 cars in the wrecked section were scrapped, except for car 6, which was repaired and put back into service.
  • Around 15 or 1600 p70 coaches were built, but only a few remain today, with eight preserved or waiting for preservation in New Jersey.
  • The Trestle across Legion Place did not collapse during the crash, as it was engineered to be temporary and had been used by seven trains before the accident.
  • The train was estimated to be traveling around 54 mph before the derailment, with investigations revealing that the tipping speed for the locomotive was 44 mph.
  • The tender of the train, weighing over 75 tons when full, likely derailed due to loose bolts and a flawed design, causing instability.
  • As the train approached a construction site, the water in the tender surged forward, causing it to swing and eventually derail during the second curve.
  • Fitz Simmons, the engineer, delayed hitting the brakes due to the absence of signal lamps along the tracks, relying on memory for speed restrictions.
  • The locomotive made it through the curves before the tender derailed, indicating that Fitz Simmons managed to slow down the train slightly.
  • The violent derailment of the tender led to a chain reaction, causing multiple cars to derail, resulting in casualties primarily in cars three and four.

49:22

1951 Train Wreck: Survivors, Tragedy, and Settlements.

  • A train wreck occurred in 1951, with a car smashing into car number six, leaving three passenger cars and the club car relatively undamaged.
  • The site of the wreck remains largely unchanged, with visible scars on the concrete wall where repairs were made.
  • John Ryan, a survivor of the wreck, recalls the incident vividly and had personal connections to others involved.
  • The young couple John remembered from the train were identified as Victor Venturino and Beverly Borman, who tragically did not survive.
  • The Pennsylvania Railroad paid out $13 million in settlements to survivors and victims' families, leading to recommendations for improved safety measures.
  • Joseph Fitz Simmons, the train's operator, faced public condemnation and guilt after the crash, eventually retiring early and passing away troubled by the disaster.
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