1959 Meldrim Trestle Disaster - Meldrim, Georgia
N 32° 08.642 W 081° 22.663
17S E 464378 N 3556463
Quick Description: Twenty-three people were killed on June 28, 1959, when a Seaboard Air Line Freight train plunged off a trestle and into a river.
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 10/16/2007 6:35:54 PM
Waymark Code: WM2DM5
Views: 140
Long Description:Meldrim Trestle Disaster occurred at Meldrim, Georgia on June 28,
1959. Involved was a Seaboard Air Line mixed freight train that
derailed over the Ogeechee River, loaded butane tank cars from the
train plunged into the river below and ruptured. The resulting
explosion and fire claimed nearly two dozen lives.
An ICC investigation faulted the railroad for not installing
guard rails along the trestle, these undoubtedly would have helped
to keep the derailed equipment on the trestle deck, minimizing the
risk of a hazardous materials release.
