Isle of Wight County Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Robinson, Thomas E., 1952 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ Windsor RR Fatality Second In This Area In Which N&W Involved Norfolk and Western Railway's west-bound passenger train, Pocahontas No. 3, was involved in its second fatal accident in two days when it collided head-on with an automobile at the Windsor railway crossing on Friday afternoon. Killed instantly was 28-year-old Thomas Eldon Robinson, of Windsor. The traffic victim was a service station attendant on the Holland Road, one mile west of Suffolk. The Associated Press reported that Robinson's death brought to three the number of State highway fatalities for 1952, two of which have occurred within the tri-county area and have involved the Pocahontas. On Wednesday this same train came in contact with a soft drink truck and the driver, 19-year-old Ernest Raymond Beaton, Jr., was killed at the 3rd Street crossing and the truck totally demolished. Debris was scattered over a distance of approximately 128 feet. Similarly in Friday's mishap Robinson's car was found 170 feet from the point of impact and the car's body about 20 yards away. It was totally demolished. According to State Trooper H.L. Mundie, who investigated tbe accident, Robinson was proceeding northward on secondary route 1801, near the Windsor business section, toward the railroad crossing and the passenger train struck the vehicle from its right. The train, which is routed from Norfolk to Suffolk to Windsor, had just left the station. The time of the accident has been placed at 2:30 p.m. Mundie identified the engineers as W.M. Cook, of Crewe, and E.T. Ponton, of 2607 Oregon Avenue, Roanoke. Cook, incidentally, was an engineer on Wednesday's Pocahontas. The trooper said that there was no warning signal except a railroad crossing sign. This was the same situation that existed in Wednesday's crash. And on Thursday the Nansemond County's Board of Supervisors passed a resolution to discuss the installation of safety measures at the 3rd Street crossing with Norfolk and Western Railway officials at its next Board session on February 7. Supervisor N.T. Poarch termed the crossing as "dangerous." Isle of Wight County Coroner Dr. F.I. Steele of Windsor said that the train and automobile apparently collided near the front end of the locomotive. The road crosses the railroad at a right angle. Railway officials in Norfolk stated that the Pocahontas had not sustained any damage but that the train had been delayed about 90 minutes in its departure from Windsor. Dr. Steele said that the fireman of the train, L.O. Tucker, of Crewe, told him that be saw the car at the crossing a moment before the actual crash. The fireman reported that he signalled the engineer to apply the train's air brake but by then the car had already met the train. Robinson is the son of the late Mills Herbert Robinson, Sr., and Mrs. Mary E. Robinson, of Windsor. In addition to his mother, he is survived by one sister, Mrs. Ray Harned, of Salem; three brothers, Clifton F. Robinson, of Norfolk; Harrison and M.H. Robinson, Jr., both of Windsor. The body was taken to the I.O. Hill Funeral Home where it will remain until tomorrow at 1:45. At that time it will be taken to the Windsor Baptist Church for services starting at 2:30 p.m. Funeral services will be conducted by the Rev. B.A. Riddle, pastor of the church. Burial will be in the Windsor Cemetery. ****************************************************************************** Windsor Man Dies As Train Strikes Auto The same Norfolk and Western train involved in a fatal crossing wreck in Suffolk Wednesday took the life of a Windsor man in a similiar accident at Windsor Friday, January 4th. State Trooper H.L. Mundie reported that the west-bound Pocahontas struck an automobile driven by Thomas Eldon Robinson, 26, today about 3:20 P.M. Robinson was killed. Mundie said the motor of Robinson's 1951 model car was found 170 feet from the point of impact and the car's body about 50 feet away. According to the trooper, Robinson was proceeding northward toward the crossing, which is just south of the business section of Windsor. The train struck the Robinson car from its right. It had just left Windsor station. He listed the engineers of the train as W.M. Cook of Crewe, and E.T. Ponton of Roanoke. Cook was the engineer of the train involved in the Suffolk wreck Wednesday, January 2nd, which took the life of Raymond Beaton, 19, Suffolk soft-drink salesman. Dr. F.I. Steele, of Windsor, Isle of Wight County coroner, said the automobile and the train apparently collided at a point at or near the front end of the locomotive. The highway crosses the railway at a right angle. The coroner quoted L.O. Tucker of Crewe, fireman on the train, as saying that Tucker saw the automobile at the crossing a moment or two before the crash and signaled the engineer to apply the air brake. But by that time, said Tucker, it was too late. Robinson is survived by his mother, Mrs. Mary E. Robinson, of Windsor; a sister, Mrs. Roy Harned of Salem; three brothers, Clifton F. Robinson of Norfolk; Harrison E. and M.H. Robinson Jr. of Windsor. Thomas Eldon ROBINSON, of Windsor, b. 30 Sep 1923, Isle of Wight Co., car struck by train 4 Jan 1952, Windsor, interred in Windsor Cemetery*, 7 Jan 1952, "Suffolk (VA) News-Herald," Vol. 30, No. 4, Sun., Jan. 6, 1952, p. 1; "Smithfield (VA) Times," Vol. 34, No. 32, Thurs., Jan. 10, 1952, p. 1 *Additional information: Isle of Wight County Historical Society {IWCHS} Grave Site Survey Task Force {GSSTF} report #26: http://www.iwchs.com/Cemetery-Reports.html A photo of his gravestone - added by John Shuck - is posted with Find a Grave Memorial #68340024. His parents, Mills Herbert Sr. & Mary Elizabeth (NORFLEET) ROBINSON, are also buried there. D.Cert. 1770 (Windsor #1) gives his occupation as paper carrier. Coverage of first accident & the obit ("Suffolk News-Herald," Jan. 3, 4, & 6, 1952) of victim Ernest Raymond BEATON, Jr., are posted at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/nansemond/obits/b350r3ob.txt Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by File Manager Matt Harris (zoobug64@aol.com). file at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/isleofwight/obits/r152t1ob.txt