Bussey Bridge Collapse - Boston, MA - Railway Disaster Sites on Waymarking.com

In summary, a train pulled out of Dedham on a branch line off the Boston and Providence Railroad about 7:00 am in Dedham on March 14, 1887. The train had nine cars that day, one more than normal, which were occupied with 200 passengers. The branch line gradually nears the main line until it joins it at the Forest Hills Station in Boston. Just before Forest Hills, there was a drop in the terrain between two large granite outcrops by Bussey Farm. Spanning this drop was an iron truss bridge that was unusual in design. It was 120 feet in length, and the trusses supported weights disporportionally compared to one another. The bridge also crossed the road below at a very oblique angle.

The engineer noted nothing strange approaching the bridge. However, when he crossed the bridge, he felt quite a shock, and, when he looked back, he had only four cars, left, which were derailed. He also saw black smoke rising up. By the time he stopped the train, the coupler to the other cars broke and separated from the engine. The engineer then decided to go full speed on to Forest Hills to meet the work train scheduled to go the other way and alert them of the accident.

All told, 23 were killed, most of them likely instantly. Over 100 people were injured, many of them seriously.

After investigations, the cause of the collapse was primarily from iron hangers that had fatigued over time from the many train crossings. When these went, the rest of the iron rods for that truss broke apart. Other sad circumstances were found, including awarding the contract to build the bridge to a company that essentially didn't exist and the work was subcontracted out to two other iron works and no one from the railroad reviewed the bridge designs. It was easily Boston and Providence Railroad's worst accident, which blemished its record after several years of no incidents.

Today, the railroad line is still in use, though it is now the Needham Line of the MBTA Commuter Train network. The iron truss bridge is now an earth embankment up to 40 feet high, and there are two stone archways, one which no longer is open to traffic, and another that allows South Street to pass under in an S-Curve. The land to the north is now the Arnold Arboretum. On the south side of the South Street bridge, there is a plaque put up by the MBTA, with help from the local historical societies, marking the spot of the disaster and how it spurned better standards in bridge design and construction.