Lot of 6 Red White Blue Deco Authentic Railroad Spikes Collected From The Great Train Disaster Site In Ashtabula, Ohio.
These railroad spikes were collected from the site of the Great Ashtabula Train Disaster of 1876. This disaster was the single most worst disaster in American history until the Great Train Wreck of 1918. It happened on December 29th, 1876, on a Howe-truss bridge, near Ashtabula, Ohio, which collapsed in a snowstorm while a luxury train with three passenger cars carrying 160 people was crossing it. Howe-truss bridges were made from either wood or iron. This particular bridge was constructed of iron. Except for the lead locomotive, the train cars, it's rear locomotive, and its passengers plunged sixty feet into the Ashtabula river. The lamps and stoves used to light and heat the train cars quickly caught the wreckage on fire incinerating people where they lay as firefighters declined to engage the fire. 92 people died, with an additional sixty suffering various injuries, ranging from fractures to frostbite. Approximately 30 people were never found. The engineer who built the bridge later committed suicide.
These spikes are mostly contemporary with some vintage spikes in the mix. However, the fact that they have been collected from this historical site is quite intriguing. The site itself is eerie and the original footers and concrete pillars of the 1876 bridge are still standing and visible despite the rebuilding of the bridge for contemporary rails.
Undecorated spikes are also available in our other listing.
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