#hinton

Head-on collisions, one of many types of railroading accidents. Ever since railroads started crossing continents, many cases of head-on collisions have taken place with several of these cases often resulting in fatalities. And one of these would become one of Canada's worst train wrecks.

In the morning hours of February 8th, 1986, Via Rail train No. 4, with 94 passengers, 14 stewards and 7 crew members on board, was running between Jasper and Edmonton, Alberta along Canadian National's Edson Subdivision on its eastbound trip while under the control of 57-year-old Engineer Michael Peleshaty and 53-year-old Engineer Emil Miller. This train was two named trains, the Super Continental and the Skeena, combined into one train, the result of two separate scheduled services from British Columbia being coupled together at Jasper. The first section of the train was the Super Continental originating from Vancouver, this section consisted of:

FP7A No. 6566 (Ex-Canadian Pacific No. 4066)

F9B No. 6633 (Ex-Canadian National No. 6633)

Baggage-Dormitory No. 617

Coach-Snack Bar No. 3229

Skyline Dome car No. 513

Sleeping car "Ennishore"

Sleeping car "Elcott"

The second section of the train was the Skeena originating from Prince Rupert, this section consisted of:

FP9ARM No. 6300 (Ex-Canadian National FP9A No. 6524)

Steam generator car No. 15445

Baggage car No. 9653

Daynighter Coach No. 5703

Cafe-Lounge No. 757

Sleeping car "Estcourt"

Steam generator car No. 15404

No. 6300 was inoperative while the trailing steam generator car was being transferred to Edmonton depot for maintenance.

Further down the line At Edson is Canadian National train 413, a 115-car general manifest freight that's traveling in the westbound direction. The train is being pulled by GP38-2W No. 5586, and SD40s No. 5104 and No. 5062. Behind the locomotives are a Jordan Spreader, 35 hoppers loaded with grain, seven bulkhead flat cars loaded with large pipes, 45 hoppers loaded with sulphur, 20 loaded tank cars, six additional grain cars, and a caboose. This train was being operated by a 3-man crew consisting of 48-year-old engineer John Edward "Jack" Hudson and 25-year-old brakeman Mark Edwards in the cab of the 5586, and 33-year-old conductor Wayne "Smitty" Smith who was in the caboose.

At 6:40 AM, CN 413 departed Edson for Medicine Lodge to wait for two eastbound trains to pass by. Before the train got to Medicine Lodge, Edmonton Dispatcher Zavaduk contacted Hudson.

Zavaduk: "Dispatcher to 413, 5506 West, over…5586 West, over."

Hudson: "Good morning, dispatcher."

Zavaduk: "Good morning, Jack. That aw…length of your train, there, 5932 that is the right length, is it?"

Hudson: "Aw, I'll get a measure at Medicine Lodge, here, I haven't had a chance, yet."

Zavaduk: "Oh, that's aw…that might be a little too late…I've got two eastbounds coming - 202 is at Hargwen and 354 is on the north track right on his a**. I'm gonna bring both over to the Lodge, there, aw…you've got pretty well all grain cars, eh."

Hudson: "Yeah, I think so: I haven't had a chance to look at it. It's just starting to get daylight here now, I think so, yeah."

Zavaduk: "Yeah, it should be the right length, then, ok, ok, thanks."

Arriving at Medicine Lodge, Hudson brought 413 into the siding to allow the eastbound trains to pass. Once the two eastbounds cleared the track, the 413 was allowed to left Medicine Lodge at 8:02 AM before coming across Hargwen at 08:20 AM where a section of double track began. Around 30 minutes later, the train came across a yellow signal and therefore, the train would have to slow down and come to a stop again allowing Via Rail No. 4 to pass by.

As 413's caboose entered the north track, Smith spotted the signal and attempted to contact the head end crew by calling and radio channel hopping in hopes of reaching out to them, only to get no response. Before the train entered the siding, a defect detector reported no defects, but also detected that the train wasn't slowing down. In fact, the train was speeding up going 10 over the track speed of 50mph and if the train doesn't stop before heading back onto the mainline, it will collide with the Via Rail train. As the 413 thundered through the Obed Mine crossing, Smith expected to hear the horn blaring but didn't expect to hear it since he was at the tail end of the long train. Approaching the red signal, the 413 ran past the signal before forcing itself through the switch and back onto the mainline.

Meanwhile, Via Rail No. 4 is approaching the double track section after departing Hinton while running 5 minutes late, the passengers are unaware that a freight train is charging towards them like an angry bull. One passenger however, WWII Royal Marines Veteran Kenneth Guy Cuttle, noticed a light in the distance while traveling in the dome car. At first, he believed that it was a train that they would pass by. But as the light of the freight train got closer, he realized the horror that was about to unfold.

At 8:40 AM, the two trains slam into each other in a violent head-on collision. The momentum of the 413 caused the freight cars to pile up into a huge mess with one of the hoppers being tossed into the air by the force of the impact before crashing down onto one of the passenger cars. Fuel from the locomotives ignited immediately after the collision engulfing them, the baggage car, the day coach, and many freight cars in a huge fire.

Zavaduk: "Dispatcher to Number 4, over."

Smith: "Hello, dispatcher."

Zavaduk: "Dispatcher."

Smith "413 here dispatcher. There was ah…a meeting here. We're just over the switch and we're all over the bush, here. I can't seem to raise the head-end."

Zavaduk: "You mean you're derailed?"

Smith: "Yeah, we got a big explosion up here too dispatcher, ah. I'm about maybe 40 cars from the…where the smoke and everything's in the air - I saw a big cloud of…Hello Edson West Conductor 413 ah, it looks pretty serious ahead, here. There's a lot of ah…fumes and stuff around here. I don't know if I should walk up. But I can't seem to get a hold of the head-end."

Both crews in the lead locomotives of both trains had immediately lost their lives in the collision while passengers struggled to escape from the wreckage and help others out. Back in the dome car, Cuttle used his head to smash a cracked window open to open up an escape route, a technique he learned during his training back in the Royal Marines. The spilled grain helped snuff out the fire in addition to acting as a cushion for the escaping passengers. Sadly, some of the passengers were too injured to escape and lost their lives from the flames and the smoke. Initially not realizing that he's the only surviving member of 413's crew, Smith gets back onto the radio with the dispatcher.

Zavaduk: "Ah….what…ah…what the…what was the signal at Dalehurst ah…when your head-end called it."

Smith: "Pardon me?"

Zavaduk: "What was the indication on that ah…signal at Dalehurst?"

Smith: "Well, I was callin' him for the signal at Dalehurst, ah quite a few times. And, ah…we'd been having trouble with the radio on the way down. And…ah…he never called and I felt the air set up, and ah…you know, like he was in control of the train. And, ah…I kept calling him and there was no answer and, ah…I tried on different channels eh . And, ah…so we could of gone through a red one, I think - he could of - I'm not sure. What was on your panel?

Zavaduk: "Well, it should of been red on the panel."

Smith: "Well, he must have ran it dispatcher because I could not get a hold of him - I tried and tried. And I've been having trouble - like even last night coming on the way down with the radios. And I'd…he just would…you know I'd get some static on the radio and I figured he was, you know, in control of the train 'cause I felt the slack run in on the train…when he set em up. And then…the air went…and, ah…all I could see was a huge ball of fire in the air."

Rescue teams, as well as members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), were dispatched to the site of the wreck, a remote area that is otherwise easily accessible by rail. Upon arriving at the scene, they were horrified by the appearance of the wreckage while they assisted survivors and recovered bodies. While firefighters battled the flames, two RCMP officers found Smith walking towards the wreckage holding a radio. It was at that moment when Smith learned the dark truth from the officers who told him about what happened to the head end crew.

With 23 people dead and 71 people injured, the Hinton Train Collision became one of the worst train wrecks in Canadian history costing over $30M (or $88,123,083.94 in 2026 currency). Following the wreck, the Commission of Inquiry launched an investigation to determine the possible cause of the collision. The red signals that CN 413 passed by were functioning 100% as so were the switches, except the ones that were jammed by the 413 when it forced itself through.

During interviews, Smith said that he was unable to reach the head end in the moments prior to the collision, an issue encountered by other crews. They pointed the finger of blame towards the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) since there was a geomagnetic storm taking place on that day and because the Aurora is capable of distorting radio transmissions. However, this claim was denied due to research done by investigators and looked towards the crews of both trains instead.

According to CN's analysis, both trains would've seen each other 19 seconds prior to the impact while signal 173 would've been green to allow Via Rail No. 4 to proceed before immediately changing to red when CN 413 merged onto the main track. Some of the passengers would've had time to warn the crew or pull on an emergency brake upon noticing that No. 4 and 413 were on the same track heading towards each other. Furthermore, none of the passengers said that the brakes had been applied before the crash, it was most likely that the engineers had either froze in horror of the oncoming freight train or had looked away for a moment. But even if the head end crew of the No. 4 did put the brakes into emergency, it wouldn't be enough to prevent the crash from happening, let alone lessening it.

As for the crew of 413, this is where light is shed onto the more credible information of the wreck. Based on medical reports of the crew, Smith and Edwards had no health-related issues although Edwards had flu-like symptoms on the evening prior to the wreck (02/07/1986). As for Hudson on the other hand, he has had a number of medical conditions that could have an affect on his position as an engineer, nevermind on the day of the collision. The following medical events he was affected by are listed here:

1976-1980: Diagnosed with high blood pressure.

1982-1986: Alcohol-related conditions.

July 1985: Diabetes and surgery from pancreatitis.

January 1985-January 1986: 44 days off for health or other reasons. Extended sick leave of 107 consecutive days from July to October 1985.

Further medical info states that there was no alcohol or drug within Hudson's body during the wreck nor did CN have management for his medical conditions while he was released back into full duties prior. However, there is some light to be shed upon regarding Hudson's performance history. By September 1983, Hudson earned 50 demerit points due to performance and rule violations; had he earned 60 points, he would've been dismissed. In addition, he was also a heavy smoker and was at risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke more so than anyone else, let alone other CN employees. But CN had failed to hold accountability of Hudson with the supervision and discipline to monitor his performance.

So while operating the train it's very possible that Hudson suffered a medical emergency of some sort prior to the wreck. But why didn't Edwards do something about it? Especially given the fact there is an emergency brake on the left side of the cab. Investigators believed that Edwards was asleep on the job due to not getting enough rest on the night before the wreck.

And lastly, there's Smith. Why didn't he stop the train either? He said that he had been repeatedly trying to contact Hudson and Edwards, but some train crews and other employees that were on the radio denied that he ever did so. In the caboose is a whistle that goes off in brake applications as the air pressure reduces when brakes are being used. But because train crews found it annoying, they often covered it. As a result, Smith said that he felt the slack of the brakes being used when it was actually the train going over the grade.

Like on the lead locomotive, there's an emergency brake within the caboose that Smith could've used to stop the train. But since the brake whistle didn't go off, assumed that the static sound of the radio was the head end crew talking to him, and felt that the train was still in control, he didn't pull the cord. It was also believed that like Edwards, Smith was also sleep deprived.

With all known evidence collected, the inquiry was published in December 1986 going in detail over everything about the collision. Although no tangible cause of the wreck could be determined, the primary key details that lead to the incident are listed below:

Hudson's failure to follow signal aspects due to poor health conditions.

Lack of enough sleep for the crew on the night prior.

Smith's failure to follow operating procedures to stop the train by applying brakes in the caboose if unable to reach the head end.

On July 25th 1986, Smith was dismissed from CN and around a year later, the United Transportation Union appealed his dismissal. Although CN had declined the appeal, Michel G. Picher of the Canadian Railway Office of Arbitration had ruled in Smith's favor saying that he should be brought back into a position other than conductor after Smith sorrowfully expressed regret for his position in the collision.

There is a safety device that was around at the time of the wreck, it is known as Reset Safety Control (RSC). For those who are unaware, it is a loud and rather bothersome alert device that has to be acknowledged by the engineer by pushing the reset button, blowing the horn, moving the throttle, or using the brake lever. If none of these are used within around 10 seconds, it will set the brakes into emergency. However, none of the locomotives on 413 were equipped with such devices, the wreck could've been avoided had the locomotives been equipped with RSC.

Because of the severe damage, all that remained of the lead locomotives, most of the freight cars, and some of the passenger cars had been scrapped. No. 6300 on other hand survived since it was placed midway in the passenger consist. After the wreck, it was repaired using a cab from Kansas City Southern F7 No. 4062 and would continue to serve Via Rail until 2011 when it was donated to the BC chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. And since late 2019, No. 6300 now resides at the Heber Valley Railroad in Heber City, Utah.

Kenneth Cuttle, the Royal Marines Veteran who helped survivors escape the dome car, passed away in a hospital at the age of 91 on Christmas Eve December 24th, 2015. After the wreck, a memorial had been put in place at the site and can be seen both on foot and on board Via Rail's Canadian. But head-on collisions sadly still have happened on railroads for several more have taken place over the years such as the 1987 Chase, Maryland train collision, the 2008 Chatsworth train collision, and the 2018 Cayce, South Carolina train collision. Today, the 1986 Hinton Train Collision serves not only as a haunting reminder of CN's flawed safety regulations of the time, but also stands as a remembrance of the 23 people who lost their lives and those who survived the traumatic event.

Models and Route by: Texas State Shops, The Terminal Trainz, K&L Trainz, ConrailFan76 and Howiemcdavid (Via Steam Generator), doug56, Auran, and Download Station

Information Sources Cited in Chicago Style:

Canada,. 2026. “Commission of Inquiry, Hinton Train Collision : Report of the Commissioner, the Honourable Mr. Justice René P. Foisy.: T22-72/1986E-PDF - Government of Canada Publications - Canada.ca.” Publications.gc.ca. 2026. https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.818270/publication.html.

“Canadian Railway Observations - via Rail Canada.” 2011. Canadianrailwayobservations.com. February 4, 2011. https://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/2011/Mar%2011/Mar%2011%20Web/mar11via.htm.

“CANADIAN NATIONAL RAILWAYS.” n.d. Accessed January 17, 2026. http://croa.com/PDFAWARDS/CR1677.pdf.

“Canadian Railway Observations - Canadian Railway History.” 2026. Canadianrailwayobservations.com. 2026. https://www.canadianrailwayobservations.com/croarchives/aug2012history16.htm.

Strack, Don. 2021. “Heber Valley RR Equipment from British Columbia.” Utahrails.net. 2021. https://utahrails.net/utahrails/heber-equipment-bc.php.

Legacy. 2015. “Kenneth Cuttle Obituary (November 05, 1924 - December 24, 2015) - Victoria, BC - the Times Colonist.” Legacy.com. Legacy. December 30, 2015. https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/timescolonist/name/kenneth-cuttle-obituary?id=42937662.

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