Coal trains were numerous on the Susquehanna Railroad in the early 1900’s It is understandable but not excusable that a dispatcher would forget one of them. A coal train and a way freight were headed for each other on the single track line between Oak Ridge and Newfoundland on June 19^th, 1903.

The usual way freight, heading west at 8 o’clock in the morning, had orders to take the Oak ridge passing siding. The eastbound coal train had no orders and proceeded past the Oak ridge station with a long string of loaded cars. The dispatcher had forgotten to order the crew to wait until the way freight had cleared the siding. In a delayed effort to avoid a crash the dispatcher called the Oak Ridge agent to stop the train.  Harry Fredericks got the message and dashed out with the red flag. It was too late. The caboose just passed the station. He could only wait for the disaster to occur which came quickly with an ominous explosion.

The way freight was in charge of conductor George Backing and engineer George Tidaback. Their engine was number 31, class F-25, hauling 15 cars. George Labor was conductor on the coal train and George Sims was the engineer. Their engine was No. 91; class F-28, a heavy mogul hauling 55 cars. It is a coincidence that all four principals had the name of George.

Reuben Von Buskirk, from Beaver Lake, was fireman on the way freight. He described the fateful moment as the two locomotives were about to come together. There were no air brakes and there was no time to blow for brakes. Fortunately both engines were single cab. The four enginemen and the head brakemen could see the impending crash and “joined the birds”. Simes threw his engine in reverse but it had little effect in slowing the heavy train on the down grade. Tidabeck, traveling slowly on the upgrade, stayed at the controls in an attempt to reverse his train. He jumped too late and was seriously injured.

The big mogul crashed into the little one with vengeance. Both engines flew up in the air. The bursting of steam was deafening. No. 31 fell over on its side, nearly landing in the Pequonnock River.  No. 91 fell over on the opposite side crashing through the railroad’s vital telegraph wires.

The oak ridge agent rushed to the scene with portable telegraph instruments. He connected them to the proper wires and reported the dire news of the disaster. He continued to relay messages back and forth between Jersey City and Stroudsburg until the telegraph wires were temporally repaired.

The twenty three year old mogul, No. 31 was so badly damaged that is was removed from the roster. The newer nine year old, No. 91 was salvaged and served the railroad for twenty more years. Mercifully none of the brakeman was injured. Before air brakes came into use the railroad assigned a brakeman to ride on top of the cars. None of the crew was severely injured except engineer Tidabeck who returned to work after a few weeks of recuperation.

The unfortunate dispatcher suffered a severe nervous breakdown and was never able to return to the job. Harry Fredericks, twenty five years old at the time, tended the Oak ridge station for nearly forty more years.  Rubin Von Burkisk worked many years as an engineer and drove the Hanford Branch passenger train in its final years.

  First had information was derived from conversations with Harry Frederick’s and from Rubin Von Birskirk. Other facts were taken from articles in the Paterson guardian and the Middletown Press.