Train Wreck at Montparnasse 1895

The Gare Montparnasse became famous for a derailment on 22 October 1895 of the Granville-Paris Express that overran the buffer stop. The engine careened across almost 30 metres (98 ft) of the station concourse, crashed through a 60-centimetre (24 in) thick wall, shot across a terrace and sailed out of the station, plummeting onto the Place de Rennes 10 metres (33 ft) below, where it stood on its nose.

All of the passengers on board the train survived, five sustaining injuries: two passengers, a fireman and two crewmembers; however, one woman on the street below was killed by falling masonry. The accident was caused by a faulty Westinghouse brake and the engine drivers who were trying to make up for lost time. The train chief incurred a 25 franc penalty and the engine driver a 50 franc penalty; he was also sent to prison for two months.

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