Local Railway Items from Area Papers - 1968 10/01/1968 Ottawa Citizen Lachute Hull Montclair Blvd Hull youth slides car into train A Hull teenager escaped with minor injuries early today when his car skidded into a freight train at a level crossing.. Police report Maurice Cadieux, 18, of 257 Gamelin Blvd., was driving east on Montclair Boulevard at 12.35 a.m. when his car slid into a freight train proceeding north at the crossing. Cadieux suffered facial cuts. He was treated and released from Sacred Heart Hospital. Damage to his car was estimated at $1,000. 15/02/1968 Ottawa Citizen Montreal and Ottawa Interprovincial Bridge The dismantling of the railway bridges on the CNR [sic] line running north from the Interprovincial Bridge is expected to begin within a few days 19/02/1968 Ottawa Citizen Lachute Montee Paiment Train hits auto Gatineau couple in narrow escape A Gatineau couple's split second escape from being run over by a train Saturday afternoon has police investigating the possibility that signals failed to work properly. "The signals weren't working," said Julien Gauthier, 39. of 572 Main St., Gatineau. His small. German-made station wagon was ripped apart by a Montreal- bound CPR passenger train. He and his wife Agnes, about 36, were treated for shock and allowed to go home. Blowing snow obscured visibility when the acccident occurred about 3.15 p.m. Saturday. Mr. Gauthier said his station wagon was upon the level crossing when he noticed the train approach. About one and a half feet of snow was on the crossing and "the wheels were spinning in it." "There was nothing to do but jump out at the last second." said Mr. Gauthier. "The car bounced right over, or around, my wife. It's a miracle she wasn't crushed." "Very lucky" "They were very lucky," said Gatineau police. The mangled vehicle, its engine torn out, was dragged about 100 feet. The train stopped about 500 feet down the track and backed up. The car was going north on Montee Paiment as the Gauthiers returned from shopping. Police said the train sounded its whistle as it approached the crossing. Mr. Gauthier could not make it across in time. Checking lights Witnesses' accounts varied somewhat in their statements about signal lights, police said. A Canadian Pacific Railway spokesman said a report would be made in a day or two. but that any signal lights there would have been working. Possibly the lights were slow coming on, said police or Mr. Gauthier did not notice them in time, visibility being limited to about 200 feet by blowing snow. Police checked the signal lights about 9 p.m. Saturday and found them working satisfactorily. Investigation was by Constable Roger Aubry of the Gatineau Police Department. 18/03/1968 Ottawa Citizen Smiths Falls Woman dies following auto crash SMITH'S FALLS (Staff) A 51-year-old woman was killed Saturday afternoon when her car was involved in a collision at a level crossing near here. Dead is Eva Adeline Rogers, member of a Lombardy farming family. Corporal A. J. Roberts, of Ontario Provincial Police in Westport, said Miss Rogers was alone in the car when it reached a level crossing nine miles south of Smith's Falls. The car came into collision with a slow-moving Canadian National Railways freight train bound from Ottawa for Belleville, and was carried 50 feet down the track. It was left a tangled wreck 27/03/1968 Ottawa Citizen Beachburg Walkley Road Photo Auto hurtled off bridge Car rests on shoreline after plunging 20 feet from bridge Girl dies, mother injured when car struck by train By Dave Smithers Cltlien staff writer A 2 1/2 year-old Ottawa girl was killed and her mother injured late Tuesday afternoon when their car was struck by a passenger train at a Walkley Road level crossing. Dead is Andrea Louise Traversy, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. W. Traversy of 2636 Colman St. There are five other children in the family. Her mother. Mr. Netta Traversy, 44. driver of the car, is in good condition at Riverside Hospital with shoulder injuries. Short skid marks led to the crossing between McCarthy Road and Riverside Drive on Walkley Road where the eastbound car was hit by the southbound Canadian Pacific Railway's Canadian about 4.40 p.m. The car was dragged 675 feet by the train. The Canadian was just 15 minutes out of Ottawa station when the accident occurred. The child was thrown from the car on impact. Her body was found 100 feet from the crossing in the ditch beside the tracks. Mrs. Traversy was still in the car when police arrived. The CPR train was driven by Andre Labre, 55. of 25 Wright St.. Hull, who said that he was travelling at 40 miles an hour in 45 m.p.h. zone. CPR officials, who arrived shortly after the accident, said the red signal lights at the crossing were in working order. The lights were activated when another train came through the crossing shortly after 5.30 p.m. after the car wreckage had been cleared and the Canadian moved. An eye-witness, Ian Roy, 13. of 655 Farmington Ave., said he was walking home along the side of the tracks when he "heard an awful crash." "I turned around and saw the car being shoved along the tracks in front of the train." he said. He estimated the speed of the train at 45 m.p.h. when he first saw it. Area residents said that was an average speed for trains at that crossing. Other witnesses said it appeared the car stalled on the tracks as the train approached. The accident held up homeward bound traffic for almost an hour. April-06-20 Colin J. Churcher © Page 1 of 6 04/05/1968 Ottawa Citizen Alexandria Faster trips on CN service Faster train schedules and an extra round trip in the Ottawa Montreal service are features in the summer schedule which became effective April 28 according to the Canadian National Railways. The extra round trip will commence June 14 to facilitate those wishing to visit "Man and His World" in Montreal. On weekdays, a total of six round trips will be available in the Ottawa - Montreal service, and three between Ottawa and Toronto. Special fares were recently announced by the CN for families travelling together; for young Canadians and for businessmen travelling re-peatedly between two points. 09/05/1968 Ottawa Journal Belleville Perth Soon to be closed Perth. The CPR station at Perth will soon become a deserted landmark The station agent there, Dalton Campbell, was advised this week by W.J. Bowles, general manager of Canadian Pacific Railway, that it is the company's intention to close the Perth station. Several other stations in the Trenton division are scheduled for closing. The earliest closing date was set for July 28. The present station staff including the express service is five. The pickup and express delivery will be handled out of Smiths Falls when the Perth station closes. Telegrams will be handled through the Kingston office. It is expected that the CPR will inform the public in more detail as to the new setup in services. The last two passenger trains to stop at Perth were discontinued Jan. 24, 1966. In the 1930's 14 passenger trains came through Perth each day. Marathon Realty, a section of CPR, notified Perth town council that it would co-operate in leasing a 3 1/2 acre section of land at the station for an industry. Any construction on the property would have to be on a longer term lease. 02/06/1968 Ottawa Citizen Prescott 2 escape serious injury when car hit by train Two women are in hospital with relatively minor but "painful" injuries following a car-train collision Friday night. Mrs. Andree Scullion, 24 of 840 Springland Dr., and Mrs. Geraldine Cogswell, 33, of 52 Second Ave., are in satisfactory condition at the Civic Hospital. Mrs. Scullion is suffering from a fractured jaw and lacerations and Mrs. Cogswell from, lacerations and shock. At 11 p.m., Mrs. Scullion turned the car off Bronson Avenue on to Heron Road going west just seconds before a Canadian Pacific train was to pass the crossing 100 yards away from the intersection. One of the six-man crew that was handling the train composed of three empty boxcars and a diesel engine, said he saw the car turn the corner and approach the railway crossing. He said he thought the car was going to stop. It didn't. The train slammed into the right side of the car close to the front wheel. The car was carried about 75 feet before the southbound train came to a halt. Police said the car was a total wreck. 21/06/1968 Ottawa Citizen Beachburg Jury rules death car had mechanical defects. A car-train accident March 26 on the controversial Beachburg Line in which a little girl was killed has prompted a plea for regular mechanical inspection of rented automobiles. A coroner's jury made the recommendation after hearing evidence that a rented car driven by Mrs. Raymond Traversy, 2636 Coleman Ave., stalled on railway tracks crossing Walkley Road and was struck by a southbound train. Andrea Traversy, 2, was thrown from the car by the impact and died instantly of multiple injuries. Witnesses said Mrs. Traversy appeared to have trouble with the car in a shopping centre near the railway crossing several minutes before the 4.30 p.m.accident.