This is a list of the most serious U.S. rail-related accidents (excluding intentional acts such as the 1939 City of San Francisco derailment, 1995 Palo Verde derailment, and others).
19th century 1830s 1833 Hightstown rail accident, Hightstown, New Jersey; two killed plus 15 injured. Earliest recorded train accident involving the death of passengers. 1837 Suffolk head-on collision, Suffolk, Virginia; 3 killed plus dozens injured. Later in the year, a second accident resulted in ten injuries, with two of them ultimately dying.
1850s 1853 Greater Grand Crossing rail collision, Grand Crossing (now Chicago), Illinois; 18 killed plus 40 injured. Eventually led to massive triple level grade separation project on Chicago's South Side 1853 Norwalk rail accident, Norwalk, Connecticut; 48 killed plus 30 injured. First movable bridge disaster in U.S. history and Connecticut's deadliest rail disaster to date 1853 Providence and Worcester head-on collision, Valley Falls, Rhode Island; 14 killed plus 17 injured. Rhode Island's deadliest rail disaster is also the first known to be photographed 1855 Gasconade Bridge train disaster, Gasconade, Missouri; 35+ killed plus hundreds injured. First deadly rail bridge collapse in U.S. history 1856 Great Train Wreck of 1856, Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania; 60+ killed plus 100+ injured. Encouraged busier railroads in the Eastern U.S. to double track lines; also led to mandatory use of telegraph in cases of delays 1859 South Bend train wreck, Mishawaka/South Bend, Indiana; 42 killed plus 50 injured
1860s 1863 Chunky Creek Train Wreck, Hickory, Mississippi; ~75 killed plus ~25 injured. All but one of the dead were Confederate reinforcements headed for Vicksburg, with the disaster—Mississippi's deadliest rail disaster to date—further hindering the city's defenses against Union forces 1864 Shohola train wreck, Shohola Township, Pennsylvania; ~65 killed plus many more injured. One of the trains was carrying Confederate POWs and Union guards, and citizens of Shohola and nearby Barryville, New York, treated the wounded 'without regard to the colour of their uniforms' 1867 Angola Horror, Angola, New York; 49 killed. Led to the standardization of track gauges in the U.S., as well as advancements in coach brake and heating systems. Deadliest train wreck in New York outside New York City.
1870s 1871 New Hamburg rail disaster, New Hamburg, New York; Collision of passenger train with derailed oil-filled freight tanker car on drawbridge killed 22.Railroad Magazine Feb 1942: states toll at 26, including 5 crew members. 1871 Great Revere train wreck, Revere, Massachusetts; ~30 killed. Victims' and families' crippling lawsuits against the company at fault—the Eastern Railroad—led to its forced merger with arch rival, the Boston & Maine 1876 Ashtabula River Railroad Disaster, Ashtabula/Edgewood, Ohio; 92 killed plus 64 injured. The deadliest U.S. rail disaster of the 19th century—also Ohio's deadliest to date—led to changes in bridge construction code, the replacement of coal and wood stoves with steam heat in coaches, and mandatory federal investigation of all U.S. rail disasters 1877 Pickering Valley wreck, Kimberton, Pennsylvania; 7 killed plus dozens injured. Led Pennsylvania's Supreme Court to formulate a rule that when a railroad accepts money from passengers, an implied contract of care upon the part of the company arises; thus negligence is presumed on the part of the railroad if a passenger is injured 1878 Tariffville train crash, Tariffville, Connecticut; 13 killed plus 70+ injured. Death toll might have been worse if not for what was possibly the first emergency phone call in history 1878 Wollaston disaster, Quincy, Massachusetts; 19 killed and 170 injured
1880s 1882 Spuyten Duyvil train wreck, Bronx, New York; eight killed and 19 injured. The dead included state senator Webster Wagner, crushed between two sleeper cars built by his company. 1883 Tehachapi train wreck, Tehachapi, California; 15 killed plus 12 injured. Fatalities included a former congressman and the wife of a former governor, who himself was injured 1886 Deerfield railway accident, Deerfield, Massachusetts; 11 killed and 36 injured. 1886 Silver Creek train wreck, Silver Creek, New York; ~15 killed plus ~15 injured 1887 West Hartford Bridge Disaster, Hartford, Vermont, 37 killed plus 50 injured. Vermont's deadliest rail disaster 1887 Forest Hills disaster, Boston, Massachusetts; 23 killed and 100+ injured. Possibly the first known U.S. rail disaster to result from fraud. 1887 Great Chatsworth Train Wreck, Chatsworth Township, Illinois; ~85 killed plus hundreds injured. Illinois's deadliest rail disaster to date widely encouraged the use of newer steel coaches over conventional wooden ones 1887 Chicago and Atlantic Railway Wreck, Kouts, Indiana; 10 killed 1888 Wreck at the Fat Nancy, Orange County, Virginia; nine killed plus 26 injured. One of the dead was a civil engineer who designed a proposed culvert to replace the unstable trestle that collapsed 1888 Mud Run disaster, Kidder Township, Pennsylvania; 64 killed plus 50 injured. Devastated a generation of the local Irish-American communities
1890s 1890 Quincy train wreck, Quincy, Massachusetts; 23 killed plus 29 injured 1891 Great Kipton Train Wreck, Kipton, Ohio; 9 killed. Led to the adoption of stringent quality-control standards for railroad chronometers 1891 Bostian's Bridge train disaster, Statesville, North Carolina; 25-30 killed plus 25-30 injured. Several incidents of individuals reportedly hearing wails and moans at this location on the anniversary of the disaster have made Bostian's Bridge popular with paranormal activists 1891 Great East Thompson Train Wreck, East Thompson, Connecticut; 2 killed plus hundreds injured. First of only two U.S. rail disasters to involve four different trains 1893 Chester train wreck, Chester, Massachusetts; At least 14 killed 1893 Battle Creek train wreck, Battle Creek, Michigan; 26 killed 1893 Kingsbury, Indiana train wreck, Kingsbury, Indiana; September 22, 1893 | 13-14 dead 1896 Atlantic City rail crash, Atlantic City, New Jersey; 50 killed plus ~60 injured 1897 Garrison train crash, Garrison, New York; 19 killed. Encouraged increases in track inspections
20th century 1900s 1900 Casey Jones's final run, Vaughan, Mississippi; 1 killed (Jones); everyone else escaped with varying degrees of injury. Inspired several different ballads about the incident 1900 Camp Creek train wreck, McDonough, Georgia; 39 killed. Bodies of many dead were brought to McDonough Town Square for identification; local folklore claims this has resulted in it being haunted ever since 1900 Tacoma streetcar disaster, Tacoma, Washington; 43 killed plus 65 injured 1901 Buffalo Bill Show train wreck, Lexington, North Carolina; no human deaths but well over 100 show animals killed. This likely led to the demise of "Buffalo Bill" Cody's Wild West Show Tours. 1902 Park Avenue Tunnel (railroad) collision, New York City; 15 killed plus 30+ injured. Led to the construction of the current Grand Central Terminal and electrification of all rail lines in New York City 1902 Mountain Lake (New York) railroad wreck, Gloversville, New York; 14 killed. The little electric railroad known for its scenic tourism never recovered and was eventually removed altogether 1903 Esmond Train Wreck, Esmond, Arizona; 14 killed. Remains Arizona's deadliest rail disaster to date 1903 Wreck of the Old 97, Danville, Virginia; 11 killed. What is possibly Virginia's deadliest rail disaster to date inspired the famous ballad of the same name sung by many famous musicians 1903 Purdue Wreck, Indianapolis, Indiana; 17 killed. Devastated Purdue University's Football team for the year, who are honored before every game to this day. 1903 Connellsville train wreck, Connellsville, Pennsylvania; 64 killed plus 68 injured 1904 Jackson rail disaster, Jackson, Utah; 30+ killed. Most of town was leveled altogether 1904 Eden train wreck, Pueblo, Colorado; 97 confirmed killed plus scores missing. Colorado's deadliest rail disaster to date 1904 New Market train wreck, New Market, Tennessee; 60+ killed plus 100+ injured 1905 Ninth Avenue derailment, New York City; 13 killed plus 48 injured. Deadliest accident on New York's elevated railways 1905 Baker Bridge train wreck, Lincoln, Massachusetts; 17 killed plus 33 injured. Led RR commission to encourage railroads and street railways where trains or cars followed each other in quick succession to implement a signalling block system 1906 Cimarron River bridge disaster, Dover, Oklahoma; 4 confirmed fatalities plus scores unaccounted for 1906 Atlantic City train wreck, Atlantic City, New Jersey; 53 killed. Resulted in what is likely the first known press release by a private entity 1906 Woodville Train Wreck, Porter County, Indiana; at least 48 confirmed killed plus many missing and at least 81 confirmed injured 1906 Washington, D.C., train wreck; 53 killed plus 70 injured. Led to a complete U.S. ban on wooden coach construction; the accident is notoriously described in Frank Kuntz's book Undergraduate Days 1904-1908 1907 Southern Pacific Sunset Express derailment, Colton, California; 24 killed 1907 Pere Marquette Railway wreck, Salem, Michigan; 31 killed plus 101 injured. Michigan's deadliest rail disaster 1907 Boston & Maine collision, Canaan, New Hampshire; 25 killed plus 25 injured. New Hampshire's deadliest rail disaster to date 1908 Metz Fire and derailment, Metz Township, Michigan; 26 killed 1909 The Chicago Lake Shore and South Bend Railway wreck, Porter County, Indiana; 12-14 killed plus ~40 injured 1909 Southern Railway derailment, Reedy Fork threstle, North Carolina; 14 killed plus 25 injured
1910s 1910 FW&WV (Indiana Railroad) collision, Kingsland, Indiana; 35-40 killed. Worst interurban Trolley disaster in U.S history 1910 Wellington avalanche, Wellington, Washington; 96 killed. The worst avalanche in U.S. history destroyed two trains and a rail depot 1910 Green Mountain train wreck, Green Mountain, Iowa; 52 killed plus scores injured. Remains the state of Iowa's deadliest rail disaster to date 1910 Grand Trunk collision, Durand, Michigan; 18+ killed 1911 Indianola train wreck, McCook, Nebraska; 18 killed plus 32 injured. Nebraska's deadliest rail disaster to date 1911 Federal Express (train) wreck, Bridgeport, Connecticut; 14 killed. Train was transporting the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team 1912 Corning train wreck, Corning (Gibson), New York; 39 killed plus 88 injured. Strongly encouraged use of automatic block signaling and led to mandatory use of steel coaches for high speed passenger rail service 1912 Ligonier Valley Railroad Wilpen disaster, Wilpen Fairgrounds, Pennsylvania; 26 killed plus 29 injured 1913 Bar Harbor Express-White Mountain Express collision, New Haven, Connecticut; 21 killed 1914 Missouri and North Arkansas Railroad/Kansas City Southern Railway collision, Tipton Ford, Missouri; 43 killed plus 38 injured. Possibly Missouri's deadliest rail disaster to date 1916 Summer Street Bridge disaster, Boston, Massachusetts; 46 killed. Deadliest disaster in Boston's history up to that point and still remains the city's deadliest transport-oriented disaster. 1917 Frisco collision, Kellyville, Oklahoma; 23 killed along with many cattle plus 80 injured. Remains the state of Oklahoma's deadliest rail disaster to date 1917 Shepherdsville train wreck, Shepherdsville, Kentucky; ~50 killed. Remains the state of Kentucky's deadliest rail disaster to date 1918 Hammond Circus Train Wreck, Gary/Hammond, Indiana; 86 killed plus 127 injured. Remains Indiana's deadliest rail disaster to date 1918 Great train wreck of 1918, Nashville, Tennessee; 101 killed plus 171 injured. Officially the deadliest U.S. rail disaster to date 1918 Malbone Street wreck, New York City; 95-100 killed plus 100+ injured. Remains the deadliest rail disaster in the History of New York state and the New York City Subway