Lost at Thaxton: The Dramatic True Story of Virginia's Forgotten Train Wreck

by Michael E. Jones

A storm like no one had ever seen caused tiny Wolf Creek in Thaxton, Virginia, to rage in the darkness of night. An earthen fill that carried the railroad over the creek could not withstand the power of the rising water, and Norfolk & Western passenger train Number Two plummeted into a hole in the earth. There in the valley beneath the shadow of the towering Peaks of Otter, passengers and crew scrambled from the wreckage and water in a life-or-death struggle. The best and worst of humanity were on display in the small hours of the night, as some worked heroically to rescue those trapped in the debris while others stood by concerned only for themselves. A terrible fire ensued, and those who remained trapped were consumed by the flames. The bloodied and battered survivors suffered through four more hours of isolation and torture in the rain alongside the burning wreckage before help would finally arrive. Written and extensively researched by the great-great grandson of the railroad section master at Thaxton, Lost at Thaxton tells the forgotten true story of one of the worst railroad accidents in the history of Virginia and the people who lived and died that night.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

231 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2013

About the author

Michael Jones was planted in West Virginia and cultivated in South Carolina, with roots extended deep into Virginia soil. He is a graduate of Clemson University, author, entrepreneur, master naturalist and history lover. His book, Lost at Thaxton, recounts the terrifying 1889 train wreck in Thaxton, Virginia that took place on the section of track managed by his great-great grandfather, Tandy Jones.

Reviews

[K.P. Vorenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting account of a tragic incident in the 1890's. The author presents a vivid portrayal of the era, the heroism of ordinary people and the frailty of the human spirit in others. Well done, indeed, Mr. Jones!

[Philip Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who knew? A train wreck I’ve never heard about. A young country coming of age and trains are the latest new way to travel. Steam engines with hot boilers providing the power source. Keep stoking those fires. Terrible weather, diluvial deluges of drenching rains, washouts, miserable weather for man or beast and imagine this, no cell phones. Poor communications, telegraph lines down so relying on manpower walking the tracks, all in the miserable weather. The tragedy of the track collapsing under the weight of the train, dropping into a ravine and pulling the following cars with it. People trapped and a boiler spewing sparks, all that wood from the Pullmans, rain is saving the scene from becoming an inferno, for a while. The heart of the story is about the people who jumped into action to save others. The shameful part, men who declined pleas for help as people lay trapped, wounded. A small spot in the history of our country, a monumental statement about the nature of mankind.

[Thaxton Gamache · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provided as detailed as possible an account of a tragic train wreck in Thaxton, Virginia that occurred in 1889. My dad got it for me for Christmas because my name is Thaxton, and though I mostly read it because of said name, I ended up enjoying it. It is not particularly well written, with lots of repetition and redundancy being my main complaint, but it is well researched and well structured. The book is nothing particularly special, neither is it particularly bad. It was interesting and kept my interest for most of it.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative

This story is very informative about a train wreck almost no one is aware. Occurring in 1889, record keeping was poor and most passenger records non-existant. The author investigated the train wreck as best he could. He came up with this account of the train disaster of number two leaving Roanoke, Virginia on July 1, 1889. I came upon this book accidentally and found it very interesting

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting account of an 1889 train wreck in Virginia in which at least 18 people lost their lives. The first part of the book is about the events leading up to the crash and the tragedy itself. The second part is made up of known information about the victims and short followups of the survivors lives after the crash. That information was obtained from public records, so it's sketchy, but still interesting.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book, self-published, well-researched and lots of pictures. Detailed account of a train wreck in Virginia in Bedford County. I have many ancestors from Bedford County so was interested if they were involved (they weren't) but I'm sure they knew about it in 1889. A good book if you are interested in genealogy, trains, disasters, etc.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed tragedy

A sterling description of a tragedy that not only happens during the early railroad years, but also goes into detail of many human frailties, but also heroics.

[Arlene Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

interesting

This true account was extremely informative, yet engaging. I chose a book to read, but I received much more. I was introduced to the passengers on that fateful voyage as they made their way to history.

[Gregg Harcus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow read

The story was interesting but a lot of stuff was repeated. The incident was real but not sure how much of the details was.

[Alicia A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

well researched, well written, gives a real sense of the disaster that has almost been forgotten.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very interesting book. It's sad that what the book says was "the most serious accident that had ever occurred in the state of Virginia..." was mostly forgotten. This is a good remembrance.

[Tanya M Spiegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad

What a sad ending. Glad that these people and this train accident was remembered. So incredibly sad and horrific an event to cover. Well done on the research.

[Lloyd A. Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forgotten no longer.

A good narrative of a 19th century train wreck most people have never heard of. A lot of research done to not only get the story of the accident, but also of the people involved. Accident site is on my "must see" list the next time I'm in that area.

[Dianne Nickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thaxton Uncovered

True story and a wealth of research combined to make a great read. I love to look into the past and learn something, even if it involved tragedy.

[Jim Galford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed the recreation of this event.