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Train wreck

Atrain accidentortrain wreck is a type of disaster involving two or more trains. Train wrecks often occur as a result of miscommunication, as when a moving train meets another train on the same track, when the wheels of train come off the track or when a boiler explosion occurs. Train accidents have often been widely covered in popular media and in folklore.

Ahead-on collision between two trains is colloquially called a "cornfield meet" in the United States.^[1]

Train accidents can occur due to a range of factors, including one or more of the following:

• Human error – One of the leading causes of train accidents is human error. This can involve train operators failing to adhere to safety protocols, distraction, fatigue, impaired judgment, or inadequate training.
• Mechanical failures – Equipment malfunctions or failures, such as faulty brakes, defective signaling systems, or problems with locomotives or railcars, can contribute to train accidents.
• Track and infrastructure issues – Poorly maintained tracks, inadequate inspection procedures, or infrastructure deficiencies like weakened bridges or faulty switches can lead to accidents.
• Weather conditions – Severe weather conditions, including heavy rain, snowstorms, or extreme heat, can impact track conditions, visibility, and the overall safety of train operations.
• Sabotage - People who break, place something, or destroy tracks, this is called rail sabotage.^[2]
• Attack - Anyone such as terrorists or shooters disrupted rail traffic such as bombing or shooting on a train.^[3]

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  Train wreck in Rainy River District, Ontario, in the 1900s.

• Rail sabotage

• Aldrich, Mark. Death Rode the Rails: American Railroad Accidents and Safety, 1828–1965 (2006) excerpt
• Vaughan, Adrian. Obstruction Danger: Significant British Railway Accidents, 1890–1986 (Motorbooks International, 1989). online

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Train wrecks.

• BBC News: World's worst rail disasters
• A signalman (1874). A voice from the signal-box: or, railway accidents and their causes . London: Longmans, Green, & Co.

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