[PRCo] Re: The LVT Accident

[rogertrolley.1 at juno.com]

The Lehigh Valley Chapter of the NRHS with Randolph Kulp,editor, produced several books on LVT and the 1964 issue on the 1000 series cars has a discription of 3 accidents that occured in 1942 on page 47.In the first, 12 people were killed,11 passengers and the motorman. It happened on a sweeping curve leaving DeKalb hywy across a meadow and highway to Brush Siding, located north of Norristown.at 5:30 pm July 8th.The Question here is not about the second car but the first car displaying following car flags which the express car had passed at Brush Siding!! Why didn't the express car wait at Brush siding,as the signal there would have certainly been red?? The LVT had added second section cars on rush hour trips after patronage became so heavy on this trip that one car began its southbound trip with 125 passengers !! And this second car was carrying 41 passengers so you see the riding was heavy. The only solution that LVT could come up with was 1/2 hr service since 3 accidents produced 12 dead and 52 injured in 2 months!! July 8th,July 25th and Sept 5th.  One rule instituted was that no 2 cars could proceed in the same block in the same direction. Really no official finding was printed in the book but all operating procedures were followed as to the standard interurban practices. No blame was placed on anyone in the book but it is obvious that the express car was where it should not have been.     rogertrolley