You might say that Halloween came really early in 1955 in the village of Hamilton.
Even in the early 21st century, residents of this Madison County community still refer to Sept. 27, 1955, as the day of the "Great Chocolate Train Wreck," or the "trick." They even celebrate this event of misfortune every now and then with "treats."
The former New York, Ontario and Western Railroad, known as the O&W, was also nicknamed the "Old and Weary" because of its financial troubles. The railroad had been in bankruptcy since 1937, and was in its final years of operation in 1955. The final trains ran in April 1957.
What happened in Hamilton that day certainly didn't help matters for the O&W. It was a bit past 9 p.m. on Sept. 27. Moving at approximately 35 miles an hour, a 230-ton diesel engine, No. 803, had 62 cars loaded with steel, lumber, household furniture, candy bars and chocolate products. The train got re-routed onto a track it shouldn't have been going on, went up an incline, crashed through a coal shed, and landed upright some 90 feet from the spot where it first left the tracks.
Miraculously, no one was injured by the "flying train," as the Mid-York Press referred to it in its Sept. 29 edition. The freight cars missed smashing into two large oil tanks by only a few feet. Jim Leland, owner of the Leland Coal & Oil Company's destroyed coal shed, said that three days out of five, his shed had a loaded coal car in the shed. The night of the wreck, the shed was empty.
Not surprisingly, the wreck attracted quite a crowd near Lebanon Street. The children of Hamilton had quite a surprise, as one of the freight cars carrying candy and cocoa was opened to them. Some children brought their toy wagons and filled them with candy bars, made in Fulton at the Nestle plant.
Some adults got in on the act as well, as Toll House cookies were very popular in the next few weeks at many Hamilton households. It was reported that one small child later wrote a thank-you note to the Leland Coal and Oil Co. for this chocolaty act of kindness.
The show continued for the next few days as big hooks and cranes were brought in to clear the derailed freight cars. Two cars dangled from the weakened, elevated coal shed for several hours before removal. The wreck happened on a Tuesday night, and the area was cleared by Sunday afternoon.
An estimate of the damage was for more than $500,000. The railroad replaced and repaired all damage done to the Leland Coal & Oil Co. and nearby residential yards that were temporary hosts of the derailed cars.
Whoever was responsible for the open switch that caused the wreck was not disclosed, and no one was ever criminally convicted. Three agencies, in addition to the O&W police, conducted an investigation. They stated at the end that the switch must have been turned by someone not connected with any of the trains traveling through Hamilton, since the last train had passed about two hours before the accident. About 199 residents in the vicinity were questioned.
The wrecked train was en route from Oswego to Norwich. The engineer, Leslie Vidler of Norwich, did not see the red reflector light until he was almost side by side with it. Vidler hit the brakes, but the momentum of the train pushed the diesel engine up the inclined coal tracks and through the shed. The train dropped about 25 feet to the ground.
Three other men in the cab were taken to Hamilton Memorial Hospital and treated for their injuries. These men were honored at a banquet in Norwich on May 28, 1956, for their courage and devotion to duty.
Hamilton residents never forgot that train wreck. In fact, they marked the 50th anniversary of the event in 2005 with a Great Chocolate Wreck Festival on the Village Green. Among the activities of the day was the re-enactment of the spill, and piñatas in the shape of the 1955 train spilled treats on the green for collecting and tasting. It has been repeated since, but is not an annual event.
This weekend, a summer family getaway to Oquaga Lake.
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City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.
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