All are invited to attend The Wreck of the Red Arrow, on Tuesday, September 24 at 6PM in the Bradford Area Public Library’s community room.  Full-time professional living historian, Kenneth Serfass, will portray a non-descript conductor on the once-great Pennsylvania Railroad.  Area residents are familiar with Serfass’s portrayal of General Ulysses S. Grant primarily.  Now in a new role, Serfass, a retired Marine, will share the history and personal stories of those fateful passengers and rescue personnel who experienced the wreck of the Red Arrow. This free program is supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

“I enjoy sharing the stories of forgotten but important events in US history.  Remembering the sacrifices, the valor and honoring the memory of people, who in their time, were just going about their lives, unaware of how THEY were becoming history,” reflects Serfass.

The Red Arrow was a passenger train of the Pennsylvania Railroad traveling east from Detroit to New York in February of 1947.  One of the many “name trains”, the Red Arrow had sleeper cars in tow, allowing passengers to pass the night while the train got them to their destination without pausing overnight.  Postal workers, families, performance troupes and military personnel were aboard returning home from the war. 

When the train reached the ascent towards the Gallitzin tunnels, it was behind schedule.  It was a common practice to make up time on the straight portions of track to maintain their timetable.  As the train approached the sharp Bennington Curve, which today is called “the slide,” it was moving at an excessive speed and derailed both of its locomotives and dragged most of the cars off the track.

This program will present details of the incident from the passenger’s and railroad employee’s perspective, as well as the people involved and affected by the recovery and rescue of the casualties.    Serfass relates, “the history and personal stories are interesting and the conduct of many involved are honorable and inspiring.  Bringing out the best in humanity in times of abject terror.”   “Overall, it is a very human story, and Ken works to bring honor to the rescue workers and the memory of all involved in this tragic incident,” states Janelle Nolan, BAPL’s marketing and adult programming coordinator.