52 CLASSIC TRAINS FALL 2019
were bare, so it happened sometime between late autumn and early spring.
The two diesel locomotives were E8s, based on the numbers visible in the
photos, 824 and 825. According to the locomotive magazine Extra 2200 South,
these units were delivered in late 1949. The Erie had a practice of keeping con-
secutively numbered passenger locomotives together, with the odd-numbered
units leading westbound trains and the even-numbered ones facing east.
Yet, while these clues revealed some information, the main part of the story
remained a mystery.
At another dead end, I again stashed the photos in a box marked “Erie
stuff,” again to be forgotten for some years. When cleaning up my train room
recently, I unearthed the box, along with a couple dozen other boxes of paper
accumulated in my 33-year railroad career. The envelope with the mysterious
photos were still inside.
Refusing to surrender to what I called the “Mystery at Barberton,” I con-
tacted Craig Sanders, then president of the Akron Railroad Club, who kindly
responded with his knowledge of the incident.
Research indicated that, on April 30, 1951, Erie train No. 6, the eastbound
Lake Cities, struck a tank at speed in Barberton, Ohio, killing three members
of the Ohio National Guard. The locomotive and all six cars of the train de-
railed but remained upright.
The three deceased Guardsman were in the tank, which was returning
from maneuvers at nearby Portage Lake during a rainstorm. Two Guardsman
were injured after they jumped just before the train struck their tank.
Five members of the train crew and two passengers were injured, but none
seriously. Two of the injured included engineer Jay F. Mason and fireman
Francis Korte, both of Marion. Mason was treated for burns on his left arm
and shock. Korte suffered a back injury.
Further detail came from the Barberton Historical Society, through my
cousin, Barberton resident John Koprivnik. That information places the inci-
dent at the Fairview Avenue crossing, the further west of two crossings where
the two rail lines and canal run together. Further information described the
tank involved as an M4 Sherman belonging to Ohio National Guard Company
B, 137th Medium Tank Battalion, 57th Infantry.
There is no doubt that this unusual event was horrific for all involved. Al-
though the loss of the three Guardsmen was unfortunate, it could have been
far more tragic given that a passenger train was involved. However, the Mys-
tery of Barberton was finally solved more than 50 years after I first obtained
the photos.DAN OLAH resides in North Bend, Wash., and is retired from a 33-year rail-
road career with Burlington Northern and BNSF Railway. This is his first
Classic Trains byline.Railroads of the past can be full of
mystery, but it doesn’t have to be so.
As author Dan Olah shows, there are
numerous paths, some fruitful and
others not, to find answers to your
own mysteries.
Printed resources, both historic
and modern, are numerous. Perhaps
the most comprehensive is The Official
Guide of the Railways, often referred to
simply as The Official Guide. Published
monthly for more than a century, it
provides timetable and equipment
information for the entirety of the
North American rail network into the
early Amtrak era. For more informa-
tion on specific lines, look for an old
employee timetable, which can
include passenger and freight train
schedules, mileposts, facilities, maps,
grade profiles, and operating instruc-
tions. Other resources can include
track charts, rule books, shipper
directories, and more.
Digital resources are evolving, and
are often best approached as an index
to paper records. This is especially
true of federal government holdings,
through the Library of Congress or
National Archives.
Libraries and historical societies,
both railroad and location-oriented,
can also be useful, in both their
holdings and institutional knowledge.
Among the premier railroad libraries is
the University of Missouri–St. Louis
Mercantile Library’s John W. Barriger
III National Railroad Library, which has
holdings relevant to research across
the country.
The Railroad Retirement Board can
provide records for genealogical
research for $27 per person. Printed
sources for research on individuals
include Who’s Who in Railroading, a
now historic reference for railroad
officials, and Pocket List of Railroad
Officials, which is still in publication
with the latest staffing changes.
Finally, as the author has shown,
don’t forget the value of plain old
networking. What’s a deep mystery
for you may be common knowledge to
someone else. — Brian SchmidtRESEARCH
your own mysteries