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57 stories matching brakeman
- A Rock Slide Throws a Northern Pacific Freight Into the River
An eastbound freight wreck near Bristol leaves one brakeman missing and two crewmen injured, delaying the southbound overland train.
- Fatal Slip at Orillia
A railroad brakeman was crushed to death while performing routine switching operations at the Orillia rail yard.
- The Brakeman's Fall
A train brakeman sues the Oregon Improvement Company after falling into a pitch-black coal chute at night.
- Fatal Ambush on the Northern Pacific
A railroader and a brakeman are gunned down in a mid-transit robbery that leaves investigators baffled.
- A Young Brakeman Killed on the Tracks
A 21-year-old Northern Pacific employee loses his life in a tragic coupling accident near Centralia.
- Drunken Brakeman Crushed on Northern Pacific Line
A railroad worker is killed near Meeker after falling between cars while intoxicated.
- A Fatal Nap on the Tracks
A tired freight brakeman, exhausted by days of overwork, pays the ultimate price after falling asleep on the job.
- The Jailbird Strikebreaker
A man serving time in the county jail is identified as a former railroad worker who crossed a picket line.
- The Price of a Five-Day Job
A railroad brakeman with only five days on the job dies in a horrific workplace accident in Gilman.
- Blood and Bullets in a Freight Car
An investigation unfolds after a fatal shooting on a rail line near Vista, leaving a brakeman dead and authorities hunting for an unknown gunman.
- Coal Train Wreck near Newcastle
Twelve coal cars jump the track on a steep descent, resulting in a serious injury for one brakeman.
- A Logging Train, a Fallen Tree, and Two Deaths in the Dark
On the Washington Southern's first run near Shelton, a tree bridging a sand cut killed a brakeman and a tender man before the engine could stop. The town mourned two young workers.
- The Monroe Wreck: Two Railway Men Perish in Midnight Crash
A westbound Great Northern overland train slams into a siding near Monroe, claiming the lives of a head brakeman and a fireman.
- The Ghost Hand of a Seattle Brakeman
After a gruesome industrial accident, a local railroad worker claimed his severed hand was 'following' him, leading to a strange and macabre search by local undertakers.
- Fatal Accidents Claim Two Railway Workers
A local brakeman and an out-of-town conductor lose their lives in separate railroad incidents during a single weekend.
- The Tragic End of a Seattle Brakeman
Frank Kimball, a young rail worker, succumbs to injuries after a horrific crushing accident at the Newcastle mines.
- The College Men Who Rode the Rails to Spokane
Two Washington State College students recount their harrowing, freezing, and impromptu journey atop a freight train to Spokane in search of adventure.
- Fatal Train Wreck Near Cle-Elum
A sleeping brakeman’s lapse leaves a freight train to roll backwards into a collision, killing a stowaway.
- The Stranger on the Night Train
A railroad brakeman risks his reputation and job to help a stranded, elderly woman on a stormy night, only to discover a life-changing coincidence.
- Freight Train Bandits Sentenced Within Days of Heist
Three men who held up a brakeman and passenger at gunpoint near Kennewick are quickly dispatched to state prison.
- The Tragedy at Trent: A Deadly Railroad Collision
A passenger train and a freight train collide in a fatal error, killing a brakeman and prompting a rare condemnation of corporate negligence.
- The Strange Confession of Henry Lattimore
After the murder of C. Grant in a Tacoma boarding house, a 19-year-old drifter with a 'straightforward' story was captured by rail workers and police.
- The Tragedy of a Sailor’s Train-Hopping Gamble
A penniless traveler, desperate to reach San Francisco, attempts to ride a moving freight train through the Washington wilderness—with fatal consequences.
- The Great Tacoma Brake-Man Mystery: Was It a Brutal Assault or a Tragic Accident?
Railroad officials and witnesses in Tacoma are debunking the claim that brakeman Cook was beaten by a robber, pointing to a bridge strike as the likely cause of his skull fracture.
- A Community Rallies After a Railway Tragedy
When a young brakeman loses his foot in a rail accident near the Cedar River, local citizens organize to secure his future.
Also about this, in other words
- The Long Struggle for Train Safety
After a decade of agitation, new federal law mandates automatic couplers and air brakes to end the slaughter of railroad brakemen.