Hancock train collision

The Hanock train collision occured on February 17, 2004 in Hancock, Maryland. At 12:13 P.M., an Amtrak passenger train slammed into a GATX freight train going at max speed. 52 people were killed and 49 were injured. The accident was caused by the Amtrak's conductor inability to read a signal.

History
The first train involved was Amtrak Train #609 (nicknamed "The Colonizer"), on its daily run from Boise, Idaho to Baltimore, Maryland. The train consisted of EMD F40PH-278 and GP40TC-196. The train was pulling 18 passengers cars, 2 dining cars, and a mail car. In the lead unit was engineer Andrew Gorbinski and conductor Jim Posner and in the second unit was assistant engineer Lincoln "Linc" Bubelheim and brakeman Thomas Roberts.

The second train was a GATX freight train running from Savannah, Georgia to Boston, Massachusetts. The train consisted of three engines; SD60-9014, SD40-2 7375, and SD40-2 6311 (which was a lease unit from the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway). The crew was engineer Patricia Edwards, conductor Don Darryl Petro, and track supervisor Nicholas Battaglia.