Abstract:
“It was a train wreck” is a phrase we use to denote that something terrible has happened, some times resulting in loss of life or major injury. On Feb. 18, 1947, in western Pennsylvania near the town of Gallitzin, the words became a reality for the 24 people killed and the 137 people injured. This particular “train wreck,” the wreck of the Red Arrow, happened in the middle of the night, in the depths of winter at the worst possible spot along the Pennsylvania Railroads Detroit to NYC run. It was witnessed by a handful and experienced by over 200. Stories of heroism were everywhere.