The Woodstock Community Library in Bibb County, Alabama is located just a few blocks from the site of a tragic train crash that happened in 1951.

Our patron, Mr. Wade Tibbs, was a young boy then and shares his memories of that time in the above video.

We are blessed to know Mr. and Mrs. Tibbs and look forward to their weekly library visits.

Mr. Tibbs retired from Torme Grocery in Bessemer after a long career as a meat-cutter and market manager. He also served in the Alabama National Guard for over 30 years.

Mrs. Gloria Tibbs is a well known local crafts woman who is famous for her artistic and intricate pine straw baskets. She’s also a voracious reader and delights the library with her faithful Thursday attendance.

Details of the train crash of The Crescent and The Southerner are taken from court archives.

“On November 25, 1951, defendant’s railroad train, the Crescent, normally running between Montgomery and New Orleans over its own rails, was proceeding southbound at Woodstock, Alabama, over the plaintiff’s tracks, due to a detour caused by a damaged trestle on defendant’s line. The detour was made under an arrangement ruled by a written Detour Agreement between the parties. Such train was being operated by plaintiff’s employees, and defendant had only one employee thereon, who was there solely for the purpose of keeping a record of the tickets for interline accounting. Plaintiff’s northbound train, the Southerner, entered the main line from a passing track, in violation of orders and signals, and a catastrophic, head-on collision ensued.

¶2

The collision occurred about 2:35 p. m., approximately three-fifths of a mile north of the small station of Woodstock, on plaintiff’s single track line of railroad. Approaching Woodstock the track runs generally in a north-south direction. At Woodstock a siding 1.62 miles long parallels the main track. Certain changes were made in plaintiff’s operation of this section of its railroad effective October 10, 1951, about six weeks prior to the accident. On September 24, 1951, plaintiff issued a bulletin addressed “To All Concerned” announcing that changes would be made in train operations, signals and interlockings on this section. Paragraph 1 of that bulletin notified plaintiff’s employees that a centralized traffic control system would be placed in service. Paragraph 2 thereof notified that trains or engines would be governed by block and interlocking signals, whose indications would supersede the superiority of trains for both opposing and following movements on the same track. Paragraph 4 stated that interlocking switches and color light signals would be placed in service at Woodstock at the north and south ends of the siding and at other stations named therein.”

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