1926 Voorschoten train crash

1926 Voorschoten train crash
The derailed train at Voorschoten. Inset: The two railway employees that were killed
Voorschoten, Netherlands
Details
Date	9 September 1926
Location	Voorschoten
Coordinates	52°08′45″N 4°27′28″E / 52.14583°N 4.45778°E / 52.14583; 4.45778
Country	Netherlands
Line	Amsterdam–Haarlem–Rotterdam railway
Operator	Nederlandse Spoorwegen
Service	Rotterdam Delftsche Poort - Amsterdam Centraal
Incident type	Derailment
Cause	Track defect
Statistics
Trains	1
Passengers	~40
Crew	4
Deaths	4
Injured	10 (severe)

On 9 September 1926, a passenger train was derailed near Voorschoten, Netherlands due to defective track. Four people were killed and 30 were injured.

On the afternoon of 9 September 1926, a passenger train from Rotterdam Delftsche Poort to Amsterdam Centraal was derailed near Voorschoten, Netherlands. The steam locomotive, baggage car and both carriages were derailed. The driver of the train survived the wreck; he used an axe to break into one of the carriages to assist those inside to escape. The guard of the train also survived.^[1]

The victims were two railway employees, and two of the passengers.^[2] Ten people were severely injured and many more suffered minor injuries.^[1]

An international passenger train from Amsterdam to Paris, France, was held at Leiden Centraal, as the track was obstructed by debris. A farmer saw an opportunity to make some money from the crash, charging people 25¢ each to view the crash site at a distance of 20 metres (66 ft). He was criticized in the local newspapers for this. Explosives dispersed the derailed carriages following the accident. The locomotive was repaired, and had re-entered service by January 1927.^[1]

An investigation by the Dutch government revealed that a defective track was the cause of the derailment. An engineer and a supervisor were dismissed. An investigation by Nederlandse Spoorwegen could not reach a definitive conclusion as to the cause. They did not lay the blame on any individual.^[1]