Pembroke – On a cold December night in 1942, a troop train smashed into a passenger train in Almonte, killing 36 people, wounding over 150 and devastating many families across the Valley, for although the accident was in Almonte, many of those killed were from Petawawa, Arnprior, Renfrew and were mostly young people.

“This is such a significant piece of Ottawa Valley history,” said author Jamie Bramburger. “It is such a tragic event and no one had produced a comprehensive book on this.”

After four years of research and writing, he has published “Sudden Impact – The Almonte Train Wreck of 1942” and will be launching it this Sunday.

With a background in journalism, he is well-known in the community for his work at Algonquin College in Pembroke, where he is the manager of community and student affairs, as well as being the author of a previous book on the Pembroke Lumber Kings. A Valley native, he said he was always aware of the Almonte Train Wreck, and had heard about the story from his mother, who was born the year the accident happened. When he was writing his book on the Lumber Kings – Go Kings, Go. A century of Lumber Kings Hockey – he became aware of some of the local connections with the accident. This sparked his interest in possibly pursuing writing a book on the incident.

“Two of Roy Giesbrecht’s sisters were in the accident,” he said.

One sister, Jean O’Brien, was in the wreck and her husband, Harold and two-year-old son, Jackie, were killed. She spent several months in hospital recovering from her injuries. The other sister, Hilda Raby, was pregnant and lost her baby after the accident. She spent a year in hospital.

“It is quite a tragedy,” he said. “When the pandemic struck, I started doing some research. Many of the people were from Ottawa Valley towns.”
The passenger train — the Pembroke Local — had started in Petawawa and was on the way to Ottawa. It was December 27, right in the peak of the holiday season and people were returning home after visiting families or going to work in the war effort in Ottawa. Many were young people, some preparing to enlist.

That night the train took off from Petawawa at 5:30.

“It had 10 wooden coaches, many more than it would normally pull because of the heavy passenger demand as many people returned to work in Ottawa after spending the holidays with family,” he said.

A troop train had latched onto engine 2802 in Chalk River and took off at 6 p.m., allowing plenty of time between the two trains. That train had originated in Western Canada.

However, the passenger train was overloaded and going slower than it should have been and the winter weather conditions made for poor travel. The train was falling behind schedule and was still in Almonte at 8:38 when the Chalk River troop train smashed into it, decimating the last three cars.

“There was a bad storm and the local passenger train is making stops and being delayed; the troop train keeps catching up,” he said.

The impact was felt in the communities along the route of the train, where passengers had boarded shortly before. Of those killed, 18 were from Renfrew and the surrounding area.

“It came down to where you got on the train,” he said. “That is where the conductors bordered the passengers on that night.”

Mr. Bramburger delved deep into the story of the wreck, researching and writing the 230-page book.

“Most of the pictures I have are from family members,” he said. “In many, you see people in hospital beds or on crutches. They spent weeks and months in hospital.”

The devastation was so horrific it is actually surprising more people did not die, he said. On that night 36 people were killed and two more died later from their injuries, bringing the death total to 38.
“The train smashed into wooden coaches, not metal coaches,” he said. “That blunt force is hard to grasp.”

Speaking to Families and Looking at Archives

As part of his research, Mr. Bramburger went into archives, submitted requests for materials through the Freedom of Information Act and spoke to family members of those on the train, as well as survivors.

“It is 81 years after it happened, so there are very few survivors,” he said.

Those who did survive would have been children and have little recollection. However, one individual he spoke to, Bernie Turcotte, does remember. He was five years old at that time.

“He and his parents were severely injured,” he said. “His sister, Denyse, was an infant and killed.”

Speaking to family members of many victims, he has learned of the impact this had on their lives and the dreams of many which were lost. This is all part of the book.

“I was able to connect with families who had information,” he said.

His book tells the story of Thomas Lynn, as told by his family. He was visiting his family in Ashdad from his job in St. Catharines.

“He had kept his train ticket in his wallet for more than 50 years,” he said.

The ticket had been punched by the conductor.

“It is a very powerful piece of evidence,” he said. “He was planning on joining the military but he was badly injured and he was never able to.”

The book also tells about the investigation and the recommendation from the coroner’s inquest.

“At that time there were a lot of train wrecks,” he said. “Roads had not been developed the way they are now.”
With it being wartime, the train tracks were even busier.

“You had so many military movements and also equipment,” he said. “There were a lot of trains.”

His Freedom of Information requests allowed him to see information from the Premier of Ontario’s office and the strong reactions to bring in changes for public safety.

“I think the most significant thing was an automatic safety light system in Almonte after the train wreck,” he said. “There was a light put in that told them if a train was still there. There was never another train wreck there.”

In Renfrew County, the train tracks where passenger trains travelled on and the stations where the passengers would have boarded in 1942 are long gone and the time of passenger trains in this area is long past. In Almonte, the tracks are gone and the train station no longer stands, but many other significant buildings remain. The old hospital is there – although no longer a hospital – and the building where the inquest was held and where people were taken after the accident.

“There are still some significant buildings which played a role in the night of the crash,” he said.

Mr. Bramburger said writing the book has been a very interesting experience, albeit a lot of work.

“But I never lost my journalistic roots and I still find history in particular very interesting,” he said.

“This is without question the worst disaster in Ottawa Valley history,” he said. “It impacted so many families in our region as most of the victims of the crash were from Valley towns stretching from Chalk River to Arnprior.”

The book was published by Burnstown Publishing House and is available for sale. A book launch for the event will be held on Sunday at 11:30 at the Ottawa Valley Heritage Centre (formerly Champlain Trail Museum) in Pembroke. Mr. Bramburger will be there, as well as family members of victims.

The book can be purchased directly from him or through Burnstown Publishing House. Mr. Bramburger is also making a presentation on the book at the Algonquin College speaker series on Monday, February 26 at 7 p.m., and will be selling books after the presentation. The books cost $30.