Crash at Crush staged train wreck in Texas

Background. William George Crush, general passenger agent for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, conceived the stunt to demonstrate a staged train wreck as a public spectacle. The Katy had stockpiled obsolete 30-ton engines it no longer used, and Crush proposed the event for a site in McLennan County, north of Waco. A separate four-mile track segment was built alongside the main line so no runaway train could reach it, with each end atop a low hill on opposite sides of a bowl-shaped valley where the trains would meet.

Event Preparation. The site was developed as a temporary town called Crush, Texas. Infrastructure included drilled water wells, a Ringling Brothers circus tent, grandstands, speakers' stands, and a special depot. A giant sign proclaimed the location as "Crush, Texas." Midway Plaisance features, including carnival games and sideshows, were anticipated to enhance the spectacle.

Aftermath. The event was an overwhelming success, selling out more than 30 special excursion trains. Following the collision, the Katy Railroad settled lawsuits from victims' families with cash and lifetime rail passes. Ragtime composer Scott Joplin, performing in the region, commemorated the event with the "Great Crush Collision March," dedicated to the railroad.