Click image to enlarge. This diagram was done by Long Island Railroad historian, Bob Emery. Although not drawn to scale, it nevertheless shows the site of the collision as being on the Kew Gardens side of the Metropolitan Avenue underpass. [Courtesy of Dave Keller.] Should the Babylon train motorman have seen the red lights? 
Long Island Railroad historian Dave Keller doesn't think so. "Have you ever seen marker lights - those little, tiny red lights at the upper left and right edges of the rear car? How close do you think you would have to be, to be able to see
them in time to react?" The Long Island Railroad must have thought so, too. Dave points out that in the aftermath of the disaster, the Railroad had a larger marker light installed on all trains [circled in green in the accompanying image] so there would be no trouble seeing the rear of a train in the dark. [Photograph courtesy of Dave Keller.]
About the Babylon train motorman "A railroad official said Mr. Pokorney [motorman of the Babylon train] had an unblemished record for the last eight years and had been regarded as one of the best engineers on the line. A veteran of thirty-one years with the road, he had served as a fireman and engineer since 1927. In 1942 he drew a reprimand for a slight infraction of operating rules, the official said."Richard H. Parke, "Death Toll at 77 in Rail Disaster", The New York Times, p. 24, col. 4 (11/25/50). |
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[The following article is from The Long Island Press, p.8 col. 3 - 5 (11/24/50). It is interesting to compare the brakeman's statement here with the findings of the Interstate Commerce Commission Report.]
HE SHOULD HAVE SEEN OUR RED LIGHTS SAYS BRAKEMAN IN LAST CAR
The brakeman of the forward train - Bertram Biggam ... was able to tell how he saw the 6:13 train thundering toward him just before the crash.
"I was in the last car," Biggam said, "when our train stopped, and I opened the door and jumped off with a red lantern to flag any train behind us.
"Just as I jumped off my train, it jerked - which means the engineer wants to go - so I jumped back on and closed the door. I pulled the signal cord twice which means, 'Go Ahead'. I waited, but the train didn't go ... so I got off again.
"As I did this, I saw the big headlight of the other train. It seemed to be coming awfully fast along the straightaway. I said to myself, 'My God, is that train on our track? Then I thought: 'No, that can't be ...' and then I heard his emergency brakes go on.
"I jumped back on the last car of my train and I thought, 'Something's wrong with that engineer. Why shouldn't he see us in time? Our train is well-lighted and our red lights are on the back.
"That big blinding headlight came flying at us ... and that's all I remember. I woke up on the floor buried in people and seats and wreckage. I got myself loose and stood up and tried to help the passengers. A chandelier fell and hit me on the head.
"I began helping people out a window and then all of a sudden I collapsed, exhausted." Biggam said.
"They carried me out."
Of the dead motorman of the second train - Benjamin J. Pokorney ... Biggam said: "I knew him and he was a good motorman. I don't know why he didn;t see us.The tracks are straight for quite a distance there ... and I don't know why I'm alive either. I guess that's the way it goes. It was a horrible thing."
Biggam said he did not hear a whistle from the second train as it bore down on the standing train.
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