In the early foggy morning of September 19, 1949, western North Carolina's most famous passenger train, the Asheville Special, suffered a terrible fate.
Struggling to make up lost time on its schedule, the famed Train #15 struck a curve in Newton, NC at 94 mph, four times the recommended speed.
The new diesel locomotive careened from tracks, pulling another engine and six passenger cars off the rails with it. The fireman (Herman Bishop) was fatally injured when he was buried under the dirt which was scooped into the locomotive, and two cooks in the dining car were crushed as they were preparing the breakfast meal.
Another 33 people were injured, but miraculously, a small baby thrown a hundred feet from the wreck survived unhurt.
In the early foggy morning of September 19, 1949, western North Carolina's most famous passenger train, the Asheville Special, suffered a terrible fate.
Struggling to make up lost time on its schedule, the famed Train #15 struck a curve in Newton, NC at 94 mph, four times the recommended speed.
The new diesel locomotive careened from tracks, pulling another engine and six passenger cars off the rails with it. The fireman (Herman Bishop) was fatally injured when he was buried under the dirt which was scooped into the locomotive, and two cooks in the dining car were crushed as they were preparing the breakfast meal.
Another 33 people were injured, but miraculously, a small baby thrown a hundred feet from the wreck survived unhurt.
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Duphie Lee Bishop McFadden/Guyton
1894–1977
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Ophelia Bishop
1895–1896
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Ferman Bishop
1897–1947
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Alpha Bishop
1899–1991
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Cynthia Bishop
1901–1999
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Mannie Elizabeth Bishop Stinnette
1904–1994
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Mary Ann Bishop Simpson
1906–1999
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Hetty Bishop Muldoon
1908–2000
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Purnie Bishop
1910–1990
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James Robert "Jimmy" Bishop Jr
1913–1988
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Frank Moss Bishop
1916–1950
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