Brattleboro witnessed one of the worst train wrecks in its history on this day in 1886. It wasn’t so much a train wreck as it was a bridge failure.

A ten car train was crossing the West River bridge, when suddenly the entire bridge simply collapsed. Trestles remained standing, but the tracks and railroad cars plummeted to the river below. Two were killed and the public was spooked. No one could explain why it had happened.

The replacement bridge was constructed of heavy guage steel. To reassure the public, officials drove ten flatbed cars loaded with 20 tons of Dummerston granite over the new bridge.

Photo courtesy the Vermont Historical Society.