The Great Crush Collision
Could a deadly train crash become entertainment?
4.7 (31)
43 mins
Explore the shocking story of the Crash at Crush, where two steam locomotives were deliberately sent racing toward each other before a crowd of nearly fifty thousand people. Discover how a massive publicity stunt turned into a deadly explosion when both boilers erupted and sent shrapnel into the spectators. Learn about the strange aftermath.
Ep 1:
The Crash That Built a Town
In 1896, a Texas railroad promoter dreamed up a wild stunt: smash two locomotives together for a paying crowd. What could possibly go wrong?
Ep 2:
A Promoter's Deadly Gamble
As hype spread across Texas, safety warnings about exploding boilers were dismissed. Fifty thousand people gathered, unaware they were standing in a blast zone.
Ep 3:
Impact, Explosion, Ecstasy
Two speeding locomotives collided in a spectacular crash—then their boilers exploded, raining deadly shrapnel on the cheering crowd, turning celebration into chaos and tragedy.
Ep 4:
Fired, Rehired, and Set to Music
The disaster's mastermind was fired, then quietly rehired, as the railroad profited from headlines. A ragtime legend later immortalized the tragedy—but no lessons were learned.
Discussions (5)
Geneva
Level 10 · 3 weeks agoThey killed 2 people, handed out train passes and called it even. The audacity is actually insane lmao
Lee
Level 5 · 3 weeks agoScott Joplin published The Great Crush Collision March about a month after the crash. That checks out. Released in 1896 and you can literally hear the trains accelerating in the sheet music. Wild that he encoded the whole disaster in there.
Ned
Level 9 · 3 weeks agoSo they fired Billy Crush on the spot then quietly rehired him the NEXT DAY because the disaster was good for business?? Two people died and he kept his job for 47 more years 💀
