ELKTON, Oct. 31, 1965 — On a morning when most people eagerly looked forward to the playfulness and pranks of Halloween, the day got off to a frightening jolt. In the pre-dawn darkness, as a Pennsylvania Railroad Train rumbled through Elkton, 41 of the 118 freight cars derailed at the edge of Hollingsworth Manor. Some were tank cars filled with toxic chemicals and liquid propane.
Suddenly, The Sunday tranquility in the county seat was jarred by the noise of the train wreck, the explosion sending huge flames and dangerous smoke into the sky.
While Elkton Fire Chief Slaughter mobilized his forces and requested aid from as far away as Wilmington and Aberdeen, an enormous explosion sent a towering mushroom-type fireball into the sky. Soon 100 firefighters were on hand, struggling to contain the spreading flames.
At about 7 a.m. the chief ordered an urgent, mandatory evacuation for parts of western Elkton. The Sunday morning DJ working the early shift at WSER took to the airwaves, broadcasting the urgent alert as National Guardsmen went door to door to ensure residents departed immediately.
By 1 p.m. Singerly Fire Company had the train wreck under control, but the fires continued to burn throughout the night. A spokesperson from the railroad said, “it was the worst wreck he had seen in the last 20 years because of the location and the danger from the burning cars, which were filled with poisons and liquid petroleum gas.”
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For additional photos of the 1965 Elkton train wreck, see this album on Facebook.
Singerly Fire Chief Speck Slaughter Commanded Major Incidents