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The 12-Year-Old Boy Who Derailed a Train Because He Wanted to See a “Real Wreck”
Just outside of Pittsburgh in 1905, a child wreaked havoc due to his morbid curiosity
Young people figure out the world by exploring and experimenting. Sometimes, this inquisitiveness is destructive or counter productive but such consequences don’t always register with them. In what was a case of horribly misguided curiosity, a 12-year-old boy intentionally derailed a train with dozens of passengers in 1905 because he wanted to see in person what he had read about.
In 1905, Royal Grimm was the 12-year-old son of a prominent resident of Groveton, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Although he was young and immature, the extent of his carelessness reached shocking levels on April 1st of that year when he intentionally derailed the Cleveland Flyer train because of his desire to see a “real wreck” up close and personal. He had read about such crashes with great interest in books and magazines but couldn’t fathom what they might look like in person.
In the afternoon on that fateful day, the train, carrying dozens of passengers, jumped the rails and traveled about 100 yards, nearly going down a steep embankment. Fortunately, they came to a stop before any additional damage could be done after the air hose was severed…
