Mike

On February 6, 1991, VIA Rail Train 43 was traveling from Ottawa toward Toronto at approximately 150 km/h when its crew suddenly spotted a dangerous obstruction near Smiths Falls, Ontario. A Canadian Pacific switching operation involving 67 empty flatcars had entered the CN mainline without receiving the necessary confirmation that the track was clear. As the passenger train rounded a curve, its crew realized they were heading toward the railcars and immediately activated the emergency brakes. Convinced that a devastating collision was unavoidable, one crew member jumped from the moving locomotive, suffering minor injuries in the process. Meanwhile, the Canadian Pacific crew recognized the danger, stopped their movement, and began reversing away from the approaching train. Thanks to the emergency braking, the reversing railcars, and the remaining distance between them, a potential catastrophe was narrowly avoided. Both trains eventually came to a stop hundreds of metres apart, turning what appeared to be an inevitable disaster into an extraordinary near miss.