Wreck at the Fat Nancy
N 38° 14.356 W 078° 08.968
17S E 749478 N 4236205
Train disaster occurs when trestle collapses.
Waymark Code: WM4P4K
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 09/14/2008
Views: 39
Wreck at the Fat Nancy
Here, on 12 July 1888, occurred one of Virginia's largest train disasters, the wreck of the Virginia Midland Railroad's Train 52, the Piedmont Airline, as it crossed the 44-foot-high, 487-foot-long trestle, called the Fat Nancy for a local African American woman who served as trestle watcher and reported problems, the trestle collapsed. Nine passengers were killed, including two Confederate veterans, and more than two dozen were injured. Also killed was civil engineer Cornelius G. Cox, who had earlier designed the current culvert and earthen fill to replace the unstable trestle. Former Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, another passenger, survived.
Marker Number: JJ3
Marker Title: Wreck at the Fat Nancy
Marker Location: Rt. 20 west of Orange
County or Independent City: Orange County.
Marker Program Sponsor: Department of Historic Resources
Web Site: Not listed
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