Sunbury marks a century since train crash
This month marks a century since a massive train crash brought Sunbury to a halt. And while pictures reveal carriages mangled in the violent collision, miraculously no-one was killed.
North West
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TODAY marks a century since a huge train crash brought Sunbury to a halt.
The April 17, 1919 crash occurred when a stock train collided with a goods train on the line in front of it.
Sunbury Historical and Heritage Society president Peter Free said while driver and firemen of the stock train were injured, miraculously no one was killed.
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It’s believed the crash was caused because the driver thought he’d been given the OK to continue as he rolled into Sunbury.
“The train driver believed he had the all-clear all the way through,” he said.
“When he got to the bridge at Macedon St, they noticed the red lights in front of them and applied the brake. But it was too late.”
The accident caused damage to rolling stock, and traffic on lines to Bendigo and Maryborough was blocked.
“When they hit the back of the train, it just smashed the van up. The train coming down the line smashed into the platform,” Mr Free said.
The driver, Michael Donohue, escaped with a broken arm and facial injuries.
“The driver was thrown under the van and the fireman was thrown clear,” Mr Free said.
The pair was treated by a doctor at Sunbury and sent to hospital on a casualty train. A crew was sent from Melbourne to repair the damage.
“By that afternoon, the track was all clear,” Mr Free said. “They certainly knew how to work quickly back then.”
Mr Free said he was compelled to learn the story of the crash after digging up the old photo from his archives.
“I found the photo and wondered what happened there. From there, I was able to put the story to it,” he said.
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