Penn Central Freight Train/School bus Collision in Congers March 24th 1972

[x635 4,066]

44 years ago today.

 

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Penn Central Freight Train/School bus Collision

March 24, 1972.

 

Loaded beyond capacity, school bus number 596 detoured downhill on Gilchrest Road, in Congers, N.Y. At the bottom it would cross the Penn Central tracks. A few minutes out of Congers, train number 2653 with 73 loaded freight cars was also heading for Gilchrest Road. Fifteen hundred feet before the crossing, the required warning blasts sounded from the diesel's air horns. The school bus maintained its speed. There was a 2nd warning blast from the train, then engineer Carpenter applied the air brakes, locking the train's wheels, but the 4,000-ton freight didn't respond. Seconds later there was a sickening crash.

 

 

http://www.congersfd.org/pics_pages/penn_central_freight_train.htm

[Buster 3]

This accident ripped through our neighborhood like a tornado, suddenly leaving neighbors dead and lives shattered. Most have recovered and moved on however it is still a painful memory deep inside. We went from what was like a suburban ideal newsreel existence with apple blossoms and a good life to having a freight train crash through the screen and plow into the audience. Followed by months of first hand experience of traumatic medical care and death.

 

   Trains fascinated me as a child. Our grammar school bus went through the Valley Cottage crossing a few minutes earlier. I saw the green train signal light and told my friend "A train is coming". A few minutes later it would kill his brother unbeknownst to either of us.

 

   The school children who went home for lunch came back and told us of a train hitting a bus in Valley Cottage. This was just children's weirdness to my 11 year old mind. When Mr Pelleteir came and took me out of class to wait in his office I knew something bad was happening. Mr Pelleteir and Bradley asked me if I had anything to say. I just said "no" and they said something like 'good soldier' or such. My father picked me up and we went to the scene where the back half of the bus was still at the crossing upside down. We later toured the hospital which was like a war triage. Father Eisler said to me "You're a man now". I remember seeing my neighbor in his hospital room. His entire face was one solid scab. He later totally recovered with no lasting damage. 

 

             My sister had a broken pelvis and other breaks and a minor head injury. My cousin was in that back section and had badly broken legs. I remember visiting him in the hospital with his legs up in traction for what seemed like months. The next year I remember my cousin catching up to me while we were running away from juvenile pranks. Both totally recovered. 

 

        The deaths were something we never spoke of amongst each other and I mean never. It was like a taboo. It was a dark spirit you just didn't touch.   

 

            

 

         

Edited March 25, 2016 by Buster