Train Wreck June 5, 1962 in Pine Castle, Florida

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From: Stacie Pojero - Deltona, FL (Spojero@aaasouth.com or staciemetts@bellsouth.net)

This weekend i found a picture of train wreck in my grandfathers house. He has passed away, but was a conductor for Amtrack & other rail lines for over 30 years. I am trying to locate information on any train wrecks that occured on "June 5, 1962 in Pinecastal, FL". I've attempted to locate information on the internet and have been unsuccessful. I can scan the photo from work on Wednesday December 1, 2004 if necessary. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely - Stacie E Pojero Grand Daughter of: Morris Henry Metts, Sr.

-- Stacie E. Pojero (Spojero@aaasouth.com), November 29, 2004

Answers

One account of this wreck is listed in the archives here under "Derailments and Wrecks," listed as "Wreck near Orlando about June 1962."

In addition, I think it also is mentioned in about two other archive discussions.

-- Curtis E. Denmark Jr. (curtisd@ozarkmountains.com), November 30, 2004.


F-3 units... Age versus mind makes for some glitches....

-- Curtis E. Denmark Jr. (curtisd@ozarkmountains.com), November 30, 2004.

It happened.... About four years ago it was brought up here in the Q&A section.

I worked on the wreck restoration work as an Assistant Signalman. If my memory still serves me well it was a northbound freight led by three E-3 covered wagon units.

Before the present day line change which created the Taft Yard, the tracks were adjacent to Orange Avenue from Taft to North of Pinecastle. An Air Force wife was returning home from taking her husband to work at the Pine Castle Air Force Base (Present day McCoy.)

She paced the North bound train on Orange Avenue gaining speed to get ahead of the train. I forget the crossing, but she tried to beat the train across the tracks and lost. Her vehicle lodged under the front trucks of the lead locomotive and continued North on into Pinecastle. No fatalities to the train crew, but the woman and her child or children perished.

Upon coming to the ACL Pinecastle depot, the car came out from under the lead engine and lodged under the wooden station platform. The train continued North to the Purina Feed Mill, and the lead engine ran into the facing point switch serving the feed mill on the East side of the mainline. The second engine stayed on the mainline, with the remaining third engine also taking a path up the feed mill track.

The engines came to rest in flames from the fuel tanks, almost on their sides, with the Engineer, Fireman, and head Brakeman stepping out of the engine door and directly onto the ground.

Other rail cars were also derailed at the road crossing.

My dad was the Orlando Section Foreman and also worked the wreck. As mentioned, you should find more on this in the archives here.

Curtis E. Denmark Jr.

-- Curtis E. Denmark Jr. (curtisd@ozarkmountains.com), November 30, 2004.


I have checked my listing of ICC investigated accidents and did not see a listing for an ACL wreck at Pine Castle for that date. The only ACL wreck in that time period was one at Effingham Sc on July 4, 1962.

The ICC reports listed on the DOT web site are incomplete-especially for the later years. I have a list of all the regular ICC accident reports-the only reports not listed are the ICC Ex-Parte reports. Some of these reports are on the DOT web site, but again-before 1959 or so.

-- Michael W. Savchak (Savchak@mnr.org), November 30, 2004.


Stacie -

Have just checked the ICC Accident Report listing on the Dept of Transortation web site, and strangely, there are only four wrecks listed for 1962, none in Florida.

The next course to take, would be to look at Orlando newspapers on microfilm at either the Orland0 city library or the State Library at the Capital. Since you have the exact date of the wreck, it wouldn't take long for the search in the paper. Hope this helps.

-- Tom Underwood (tlu1650@attglobal.net), November 30, 2004.



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