1930 – Jan 22, Train hits School Bus at Sheldon Road Crossing, Berea, OH                 —    10

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 1-31-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–10  Marion Star, OH. “9 Ohio Children…Driver Killed…Train Demolishes School Bus…” 1-22-1930, 1.

–10  US ICC File 1615, “Report…Investigation…Accident…at Berea, Ohio, on Jan 22, 1930.”

Narrative Information

U.S. Interstate Commerce Commission: “On January 22, 1959, where was a collision between a New York Central Railroad mail and passenger train and a school bus, at Sheldon Road grade crossing, Berea, Ohio, which resulted in the death of the driver of the bus and 9 school children and the injury of one child. This accident was investigated jointly with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio…

“The crossing where this accident occurred is…about half a mile east of the station at Berea. At this point the railroad is a four-track line; in addition, there are two passing tracks south of the four main tracks, the total distance across the 6 tracks being approximately 90 feet. The two tracks furthest to the north are track No. 3, the low speed westward track, and track No. 1, the high speed westward track….

“The accident occurred at about 8.35 a.m. It was a clear, cold day, the sun was shining, the ground was covered with a little fresh snow, and a light wind was blowing from the north.

“On the morning of the accident train No, 7 consisting of one locomotive and 10 cars, departed from Cleveland at 8.02 a.m. on track No. 1, and train X19 departed on the same track at 8.11 a.m. Train X19 consisted of 3 mail cars, one express car, and two coaches, hauled by locomotive 3340, with Conductor Curtzwiler and Engineman Hand in charge. Train No. 7 was diverted to track No. 3 at WS tower, 4.2 miles east of Berea, for the purpose of allowing train X19 to pass; it proceeded from WS to Berea at reduced steed and according to the train sheet it passed WS at 8.30 a.m. and came to a stop at Bores at 8.36 a.m. Train X16 passed WS at 8.32 a.m., about 18 minutes late, and was running at a speed of 50 or 55 miles per hour and approximately a quarter of a mile behind train No. 2 when it struck the school bus at Sheldon Road crossing.

“The school bus was a model T Ford, in charge of John Taylor, who was employed as bus driver by the school board of the Berea school district, and there were 10 children in it at the time of the accident. The bus hut a seating capacity of 40, including the driver, and was being used to transport children from their homes to Brook Park school; it was proceeding in a northwesterly direction on Sheldon Road and was brought to a stop which train No. 7 passed and then proceeded upon the tracks and was struck by the engine of train X19. The bus was entirely demolished and the engine of train X19 was slightly damaged.

“Neither the engineman nor the fireman of train X19 saw the bus before the accident occurred. The engineman being on the right hand side, his view of the highway toward the south was cut off by the locomotive; the fireman was working on the fire and did not look out toward the south when approaching this crossing. The engineman stated that he had been following train No. 7 closely enough to receive the caution indications of automatic block signals until train No. 7 was diverted to track No. 3 at WS, and he then estimated that he was about 1 1/4 miles behind train No. 7. He said his view of the train ahead was not obscured by smoke or steam. When train No. 7 was diverted to track No. 3, giving him a clear track on No. 1, he began working steam for the purpose of making up time and was running at a speed of 50 or 55 miles an hour and had gained on the preceding train so that at the time of the accident they were only about a quarter of a mile apart. He stated that the bell was ringing continuously and he sounded the whistle for the crossing as he was approaching it, the last blast of this whistle, signal being drawn out until he was about 75 feet east of the crossing. The first knowledge he had of the accident was when the crash occurred; the fireman told him he thought the locomotive had thrown a tire; he had a service application of the brakes and brought his train to a stop with the locomotive about opposite the rear end of train No. 7, which had also come to a stop at that time. He did not know they had struck a bus until after he had brought his train to a stop and began to examine his engine and found school books on the pilot.

“There were no eye witnesses of the accident on the track or highway in the immediate vicinity of the crossing….The mother of three of the children in the bus, who lived some distance south of the railroad, stated that the bus stopped at her home at about 8.30 a.m. and after it left watched it until it reached the crossing where it stopped and waited for the passenger train to pass and then it started up again and ran in front of and was struck by the second passenger train. She said the second train was running at high speed; she did not hear the bell ringing but did hear the whistle signals. Two school students were walking on Sheldon Road some distance northwest of the crossing. They saw the bus as it approached the crossing and stopped to allow the first train to pass. They did not see the bus start up again and could not tell how far beyond the crossing the first train was when the bus started over the crossing….

“Observations made subsequent to the accident under similar conditions of wind, weather temperature and snow-covered grand, disclosed that it was necessary to wait for a period of from 10 to 30 seconds after the passage of a passenger train before the smoke, steam and snow cleared from the air sufficiently to determine whether another was approaching and whether it was safe to proceed via the crossing.

“This accident was caused by the school bus, after waiting for one train to pass, being driven upon the crossing directly in the path of a see and train was approaching the crossing at high speed.

“This crossing was not protected by watchman or by devices to indicate the approach of trains. The evidence in this investigation disclosed that the driver brought his bus to a stop and waited for the passage of one train. The two trains were estimated to have been approximately a quarter of a mile apart as they approached the point of accident; based upon this estimate, the second train reached the crossing approximately 20 seconds after the first train cleared it. The bus traveled a distance of at least 75 feet from the point where it stopped for the first train to the point where it was struck by the second train. It thus appears that the bus must have started forward at about the time the rear end of the first train cleared the crossing, and it is believed that at that time the air was so filled with smoke, steam and snow, stirred up and following behind the first train that it was impossible for the bus driver to see the second approaching train. The requirements of safety cannot be fulfilled merely by bringing an automobile to a stop at a grade crossing; it must be definitely known that there is no closely approaching train before it is safe to proceed. Because of his failure to observe this fundamental safety requirement, the direct responsibility for. This accident must rest upon driver Taylor of the school bus….

“At a crossing of this character there should be installed signal evidence to give warning to persons on the highway of the approach of trains, and at such a crossing over a busy, multiple-track railroad careful consideration should also be given to the desirability of installing same device which would give a distinctive indicated when two trains were approaching the crossing at the same time or only a short time interval apart.”  (ICC File No. 1615, “Report…Investigation…Accident…at Berea, Ohio, on Jan 22, 1930.”)

Newspaper

Jan 22, Marion Star, OH: “Berea, Jan 22….The Dead:

Charles Taylor, driver, 34.[1]

William Davidson, 11 (1r 14)[2]

Vernon Davidson, 7

Jacob Walter, Jr., 12

Juanita Walter, 9 (or 11) [3]

Rita Margaret[4] Zelinski, 9

Vincent Zelinski, 7 [unclear, could be 6][5]

Dorothy Zelinski, 10 (or 6)[6]

William Pastorek, 10

Evelyn Kaltenbach, 7

Sources

ancestors.familysearch.org. “Rita Margaret Zelinski.” Accessed 1-31-2025 at: https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LVPM-YNC/rita-margaret-zelinski-1921-1930

Marion Star, OH. “9 Ohio Children and Driver Killed When Fast Train Demolishes School Bus at Berea.” 1-22-1930, p. 1. Accessed 1-31-2025: https://newspaperarchive.com/marion-star-jan-22-1930-p-1/

United Press. “The Victims.” The Athens Messenger, OH. 1-22-1930, p. 1. Accessed 1-31-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/athens-messenger-jan-22-1930-p-1/

United States Interstate Commerce Commission, File No. 1615, “Report of the Director of the Bureau of Safety in RE Investigation of an Accident Which Occurred on the New York Central Railroad at Berea, Ohio, on January 22, 1930, 6 pages.”  Washington, DC:  ICC, February 14,1930.  Reproduced by DOT Library, Special Collections, I.C.C. Historical Railroad Investigation Reports (1911-1994). Accessed at: http://dotlibrary.specialcollection.net/

[1] Age is from United Press article “The Victims” in the Athens Messenger of 1-22-1930 has age as 11.

[2] United Press article “The Victims” in the Athens Messenger of 1-22-1930 has age as 14.

[3] United Press article “The Victims” in the Athens Messenger of 1-22-1930 has age as 11.

[4] Middle name from: ancestors.familysearch.org. “Rita Margaret Zelinski.”  

[5] United Press article “The Victims” in the Athens Messenger of 1-22-1930 has age as 6.

[6] United Press article “The Victims” in the Athens Messenger of 1-22-1930 has age as 6.