--- description: Ralph Morse photographed the wreck for LIFE title: Aftermath of a Train Wreck: Photos From the Crash of the Congressional image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9af4052d8dbc7e6/6987ef9035ba6f2347c0b574/150513-1943-train-wreck-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Disasters](/tag/disasters/) ## Disasters Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Aftermath of a Train Wreck: Photos From the Crash of the Congressional  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. May 13, 2015 4:21 PM CUT  Caption from LIFE. By floodlight, rescuers labor through the night cutting away wreckage imprisoning dead and dying. Shredded steel of seventh coach lies strewn on ground right of tower. Eighth coach rests on side against base of tower. Caption from LIFE. By floodlight, rescuers labor through the night cutting away wreckage imprisoning dead and dying. Shredded steel of seventh coach lies strewn on ground right of tower. Eighth coach rests on side against base of tower.Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. May 13, 2015 4:21 PM CUT The Congressional Limited was passing through Philadelphia on the way from Washington to New York City, on Sept. 6, 1943, when it happened: an engine man, LIFE [reported](https://books.google.com/books?id=UlAEAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=twopage&q&f=false "undefined"), “saw smoke and flame shooting from a journal box (housing for the end of an axle) on the seventh coach.” Though he tried to notify a signal man fast enough to get a warning light posted, it was too late. The Congressional broke apart as the wheel tore off the axle, causing a train wreck that led to dozens of deaths. On Wednesday, in the wake of [another disastrous train wreck in Philadelphia](http://time.com/3856714/amtrak-crash-philadelphia/ "undefined"), attention has turned once again to that earlier tragedy, the aftermath of which photographer Ralph Morse covered for LIFE. _Read more about the wreck of the Congressional_ [_here_](http://time.com/3857049/amtrak-crash-history-1943/ "undefined") _Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter_ [_@lizabethronk_](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk "undefined")_._  Caption from LIFE. By floodlight, rescuers labor through the night cutting away wreckage imprisoning dead and dying. Shredded steel of seventh coach lies strewn on ground right of tower. Eighth coach rests on side against base of tower. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the 1943 Congressional Limited train wreck in Philadelphia. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. The grim procession of the dead from wreck to morgue continues next morning as acetylene torches slowly cut imprisoning steel. As cars were opened up, doctors crawled into wreckage with morphine. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the 1943 Congressional Limited train wreck in Philadelphia. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the 1943 Congressional Limited train wreck in Philadelphia. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the 1943 Congressional Limited train wreck in Philadelphia. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the 1943 Congressional Limited train wreck in Philadelphia. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the 1943 Congressional Limited train wreck in Philadelphia. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Scene from the 1943 Congressional Limited train wreck in Philadelphia. Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3857231/congressional-crash-photos-1943/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3857231/congressional-crash-photos-1943/"},"headline":"Aftermath of a Train Wreck: Photos From the Crash of the Congressional","datePublished":"2015-05-13T16:21:14.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:04:00.144Z","description":"Ralph Morse photographed the wreck for LIFE","url":"https://time.com/3857231/congressional-crash-photos-1943/","keywords":["Disasters","photography","LIFE Magazine","Ralph Morse"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9af4052d8dbc7e6/6987ef9035ba6f2347c0b574/150513-1943-train-wreck-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9af4052d8dbc7e6/6987ef9035ba6f2347c0b574/150513-1943-train-wreck-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"1943 Rail Disaster","caption":"Scene from the 1943 Congressional Limited train wreck in Philadelphia.","creditText":"Ralph Morse—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/disasters/","name":"Disasters"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3857231/congressional-crash-photos-1943/","name":"Aftermath of a Train Wreck: Photos From the Crash of the Congressional"}}]}] ```