N&W 1950s wreck in West Virginia

[NW Mailing List]

From: Linda [mailto:lvmalo at comcast.net] 
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2019 3:06 PM
To: fscheer at railwaymailservicelibrary.org
Subject: RMS Library

Hi,

I am interested in information which you may not have, but I’m hoping you could guide me to resources if you don’t have it.

My father was a railway postal clerk on the Norfolk and Western line running between Cincinnati and Bluefield, WV. I know there was a serious accident on this line sometime in the 1950s, but don’t know exactly where or when. According to family lore, the mail car ran down an embankment and into a ditch. The engineer was killed. It purportedly involved excess speed on a sharp curve and I believe it occurred on the WV part of the route, though I am not positive.

Do you have any archival material that might help me to gather more information about this incident or, if not, could you suggest some other possible resources? 

Thank you. I very much appreciate your time.

—Linda Malone

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Good morning, Linda:

The RMS Library does not have specific information on the wreck although there would have been an Interstate Commerce Commission accident report prepared.  I've copied a mailing list of N&W Railway historians and will relay to you any responses to your query.

My other recommendation to you is that you request a copy of your father's official personnel file from the National Personnel Records Center near St. Louis.  It is likely there is some information about his death in that file, as well as other career information.

Best wishes,

Dr. Frank R. Scheer, Curator
Railway Mail Service Library, Inc. 
f_scheer at yahoo.com 
(571) 379-3409 - daytime cell 
In the 1913 former N&W Railway depot along Clarke County route 723
117 East Main Street
Boyce, VA 22620-9369  USA
  
Please note: only parcels sent via USPS can be accepted at this address.
 
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