Wreck at the Fat Nancy
Encyclopedia
On the morning of July 12, 1888, one of the largest railroad disasters in Virginia's history occurred when a trestle collapsed as a passenger train was atop it. Virginia Midland Railroad's Train 52—“The Piedmont Airline”—was crossing the 44-foot-high, 487-foot-long trestle when it gave way, sending the train to the ground. Twenty-six passengers were injured and nine were killed. One of the deceased was Cornelius G. Cox, the civil engineer who had designed a culvert to replace the trestle, which was known to be unstable. Among the passengers was former Confederate
Lieutenant General James Longstreet
, who was returning from the 25th reunion of the Battle of Gettysburg
. The incident is named for the trestle, known as the "Fat Nancy" for the woman who served as the trestle watcher.
The culvert that replaced the trestle still stands today, where it allows Laurel Creek to flow through. Tracks no longer cross the culvert—they're now to the south. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources erected a historical marker at the site of the wreck, along Virginia State Route 20
, in 2007.
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Lieutenant General James Longstreet
James Longstreet
James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
, who was returning from the 25th reunion of the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
. The incident is named for the trestle, known as the "Fat Nancy" for the woman who served as the trestle watcher.
The culvert that replaced the trestle still stands today, where it allows Laurel Creek to flow through. Tracks no longer cross the culvert—they're now to the south. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources erected a historical marker at the site of the wreck, along Virginia State Route 20
Virginia State Route 20
Virginia State Route 20 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 15 in Dillwyn north to SR 3 in Wilderness. SR 20 is a C-shaped route that connects Charlottesville with Farmville in Southside Virginia...
, in 2007.