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Versailles rail accident

1840s in Paris1842 in FranceDerailments in FranceEngineering failuresMay 1842 events
Railway accidents in 1842Transport in Hauts-de-Seine
Meudon 1842
Meudon 1842

On 8 May 1842, a train crashed in the cutting between Meudon and Bellevue stations on the railway between Versailles and Paris, France. The train was travelling to Paris when it derailed after the leading locomotive broke an axle, and the carriages behind piled into it and caught fire. It was the first French railway accident and the deadliest in the world at the time, causing between 52 and 200 deaths, including that of explorer Jules Dumont d'Urville. The accident led the French to abandon the practice of locking passengers in their carriages. Metal fatigue was poorly understood at the time and the accident led to systematic research into the problem.

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Versailles rail accident
Route des Gardes, Boulogne-Billancourt

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Wikipedia: Versailles rail accidentContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 48.818333333333 ° E 2.2311111111111 °
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Route des Gardes

Route des Gardes
92190 Boulogne-Billancourt, Bellevue
Ile-de-France, France
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Meudon 1842
Meudon 1842
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Château de Meudon
Château de Meudon

Meudon Castle, also known as the Royal Castle of Meudon or Imperial Palace of Meudon, is a French castle located in Meudon in the Hauts-de-Seine department. At the edge of a wooded plateau, the castle offers views of Paris and the Seine, as well as of the Chalais valley. Located between Paris and Versailles, in the heart of a hunting reserve, the castle has an ideal topography for large gardens. It had many successive owners from the Renaissance until the fall of the Second French Empire. It should not be confused with the Bellevue Castle, also located in Meudon. Famous past residents include: Anne de Pisseleu d'Heilly, Duchess of Étampes; the Cardinal of Lorraine, Abel Servien; François Michel Le Tellier, Marquis of Louvois and Louis, Grand Dauphin, also known as Monseigneur, who linked the Chaville Castle to Meudon Castle. The Château-Vieux (Old Castle) burned down in 1795 and was rebuilt as the Château-Neuf (New Castle), which in turn burned down in 1871. Demolition was considered, but most of the castle was preserved and became an observatory with an astronomical telescope in 1878 and was then attached to the Observatory of Paris in 1927. The castle of Meudon has been classified as a historical monument since 12 April, 1972. Hangar Y in the Chalais-Meudon park has been classified as an historical monument since 4 June 2000. It was the first storage facility for aerostats in the world and is one of the few still standing.