These are pictures that most have probably never seen of the head-on collision that occurred on June 12, 1973 at Mile 68.3 of the Victoria Subdivision, just past South Wellington. This was one of the worst accidents that has ever been seen on the E&N, and definitely the worst in terms of equipment lost.

These are probably the first pictures taken at the scene and some of the only ones taken before clean up began. The following coloured pictures were taken by CP E&N employee Ken Perry, who at the time was working in maintenance at the Victoria roundhouse and was sent along with other crews to the site the following day. These photos have been in my collection for many years and were copied from the personal collection of my former co-worker and friend, the late Al Wilde, who was the headend trainman of train Number 51 that day when the head-on occurred.

The accident happened shortly after CP began sending the newer GP-9 locomotives to replace the Baldwin DRS-1000s, which had been operating on the E&N since the end of steam in 1949. By this time, the GP9s had been assigned to the Victoria freight job. However, this day Northbound train Number 51 out of Victoria heading to Wellcox yard had the old Baldwins. Around 12:30 PM, the train known as the Nitinat Logger (as it hauled logs from the Nitinat Valley) was about to leave Wellcox Yard. The Nitinat would run from Wellcox to Ladysmith to pick up a train of empty log cars, then head to Lake Cowichan, and back to Ladysmith with loaded cars. The crew on the Nitinat had noticed the two GP-9s that had been used the previous days on the Victoria freight sitting on the shop track at Wellcox and assumed train No. 51 had already arrived. Feeling so sure train 51 was in, the crew never bothered to check the register book, which would have shown train No. 51 had not yet signed in. The Nitinat left Wellcox Yard with two locomotives, a water sprinkler car for fire control, and a caboose. The crew consisted of an engineer, conductor, headend trainman, rearend trainman, conductor, and engineer trainee. There was also a dispatcher that was riding with them down to Ladysmith that day, who as well, never questioned the assumption that train No. 51 had arrived.

The accident occurred around 1:30 PM in an area of many curves at Mile Post 68.3. Both trains were being operated by engineer trainees under the supervision of the regular engineers. Both engineer trainees placed the brake handle in the emergency position, thus fully applying the brakes as soon as they caught sight of each other's trains, but due to the limited sight in the curves, neither train had any chance to stop. Train No. 51 consisted of 23 cars and was led by locomotive No. 8008 with 8006 trailing. The Nitinat was being led by locomotive No. 8011 with 8007 trailing. All four locomotives were destroyed. Miraculously, the injuries were minor, with the exception of the conductor in the caboose of the Nitinat who was thrown into the stove that was in front of his seat where he was sitting at the time of impact, but he recovered quickly as well. The most serious damage was to the locomotives of train No. 51 since it had 23 cars pushing it from behind. The cab of No. 8008 was nearly completely destroyed and the trailing unit 8006 slid down the embankment. While both locomotives of the Nitinat derailed, neither slid down the embankment or had their cabs severely damaged. One thing that was fortunate, was the fact there is a permanent slow order of 20 MPH on an old mine shaft located at Mile 68.2, which remains in effect until this day. As such, train No. 51 had slowed and was just beginning to increase in speed with the Nitinat just beginning to slow for the restriction, and therefore the lower speed slightly lessened the impact.

After CP's investigation was complete, the entire crew of the Nitinat whom were responsible for the accident was fired by CP for failing to check the register resulting in a head-on. As is the usual case for employees with good records, the union appealed the decision, and all employees returned to work in a little over a year. All involved continued to finish their careers with perfect records, and in the case of the newest employees who were involved, put in another 25 plus years. So the moral of the story must be: Never assume on the railway.