| Beloeil train disaster | |
|---|---|
 Photograph of the disaster by A. Bazinet & Co Montreal[1] | |
| Details | |
| Date | June 29, 1864 1:20 a.m. |
| Location | Beloeil, Quebec |
| Country | Province of Canada |
| Line | Grand Trunk Railway |
| Incident type | Swing bridge open |
| Cause | Signal passed at danger |
| Statistics | |
| Passengers | 354–475 |
| Deaths | 99 |
| Injured | 100 |
The Beloeil train disaster occurred on June 29, 1864, at the present-day town of Beloeil, Quebec. A passenger train fell through an open swing bridge into the Richelieu River after the crew failed to obey a stop signal. The widely accepted death toll is 99 people.[2] The disaster remains the worst railway accident in Canadian history.[3][4]
- ^ A sketch based on this photograph appears in magazine "Harper's Weekly" July 23, 1864 p.477
- ^ "Grand Trunk Railway of Canada". Historica Canada. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ Halliday, Hugh A. (18 September 2014). "Railway Disasters". Historica Foundation of Canada. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ Thompson, John (July–August 1999). "The Immigrant Special, June 29, 1864" (PDF). Canadian Rail #471. pp. 91–110. Retrieved 29 June 2020.