I read an article in the December 1957 Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engineers magazine, entitled “Train-Truck-Crash DUMPS DEADLY Cyanide Blanket”.
To sum up.. On September 19, 1957 CN train #105 hit a tractor-trailer at a crossing in Thamesville, Ontario. The truck was carrying 25,000 pounds of sodium cyanide pellets (“cyaneggs”) and the trailer was demolished.
The area was cordoned off, and hundreds of people were called into clean up the area, including military personnel, railroaders and chemists. The accident is reported to have happened on the east side of Thamesville.
There were serious concerns about rain dissolving the “golf ball size” pellets and turning it into lethal cyanide gas. A report in the Rocky Mountain News (Daily) of September 20, 1957 said “chemists said there was little danger that moisture could produce cyanide gas in sufficient volume to pose a threat to the community”.
The lead locomotive, CN 5703, a 4-6-4 built in 1930, suffered significant damage and was slowly hauled to Chatham, Ontario.
Newspaper articles talked about the dangers of washing the cyanide away, fearing it would enter local water supplies.
This very tiny image shows people sweeping the cyanide up with push brooms.
In this image, railroader Don Carther is shown receiving first aid to his hands and arms after cleaning up the cyanide pellets.
The truck driver, J. C. Sluder, was said to have suffered minor injuries.
What happened to CN 5703?
The locomotive was repaired and returned to service, although it didn’t serve the Canadian National Railways for long, since diesel was breathing down steam’s neck.
Unlike many of its brethren, it was not scrapped when steam engines were replaced by diesels.
CN 5700 was supposed to be retained for preservation, but through some administrative mishap, it was scrapped. CN 5703 was pulled out of the dead line and renumbered 5700, and was sent to the Museum of Science and Technology [now Ingenium] in Ottawa.
5703 5700 was in Ottawa from 1967 to 1988 – I imagine I climbed aboard it once or twice.
It was moved to the Elgin County Railway Museum in St. Thomas, Ontario, where it resides today.
Thanks to the Chatham-Kent Museum for their permission to use the two photos above. They have other photos showing the collision, available here.
I never knew that about 5700. I have seen it many times in St. Thomas.
Imagine the response to a spill like that today. Back then they just swept it up and buried it (in some random place?), wearing only protective gloves. No one was evacuated. Hopefully we never have to find out for real.