The following is a gut-wrenching summary of one of the worst train accidents in the history of America. The account is based upon newspaper articles published in the hours and immediate days following the unfortunate series of events that unfolded in North Carolina on a very snowy December night in 1943.

The events unfurled beginning at 12:50 a.m. on December 16th.
Flickr/Christian Barrette
A train from New York was enroute to Florida when it departed its stop in Fayetteville. Temperatures were in the teens and it was snowing, but ultimately, this is not what caused the impending accident.
The train was pulled by a locomotive like the one seen below.
Wikipedia/Ruseell Meier
As the train got nearer to the Lumberton area, a track beneath it broke in Rennert, causing the cars to the rear to come off the tracks.

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One of them, a Pullman sleeping car like the one seen below, came to rest partially blocking the northbound track. It was just enough of an intrusion to cause the tragic accident.
Wikipedia/Public Domain
Approximately 35 minutes later, rescue crews tried unsuccessfully to warn the incoming northbound passenger train. It was filled with people heading north to spend the Christmas season with loved ones.
Although the driver of the northbound train saw a late warning sign of trouble ahead, he was unable to halt the train in time. The northbound train was pulling 16 cars.
gendisasters.org
Witnesses (crew helping with the first crash) reported seeing trains come off the track and pile up like an accordion. Those who survived without injuries pitched in helping to rescue or recover other victims of the horrible accident.
In the end, the crashes were responsible for 75 deaths. Only one person died as a result of the first train derailment.
Google Maps
The passengers on the second train weren't as fortunate. A total of 74 people died as a direct result of the crash; more than 40 were U.S. soldiers heading home for the holidays.

The Rennert railroad derailment and resulting accident is the worst train accident in the history of North Carolina and one of the worst in the U.S. If you’d like to read more, or see a list of the victims of this horrific accident, you’ll find both at this link.

Whether involving planes, trains, or automobiles, accidents leave an empty spot in the soul of those affected. Not so long ago, North Carolina was home to a terrible plane crash that was probably caused by an unusual weather phenomenon. Get more on that in this article.

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