It was on this spot 132 years ago, May 30, that the circus train derailed due to human error, said Susie O’Brien, who lives across the VanScoyoc Hollow Road, on property that has been in her family for generations.

O’Brien, who has been organizing the annual memorial service for 25 years — at 10 a.m. on the fourth Wednesday of May — and giving presentations about the wreck for 35 years, said Engine 1500 went to meet the circus train at Sandy Ridge to bring it down the mountain on that fateful Memorial Day.

But in those days, railroads charged private companies by the car, not by the length of the car or by weight. The circus train was 17 cars long — 13 of which were stock and flat cars.

When the crew arrived to hook onto the train, they were concerned about the weight of the cars and the braking system, and sought permission — twice — from the Pennsylvania Railroad for an additional locomotive.

Local historian Susie O’Brien leads the dedication of the Walter L. Main Circus Train Wreck monument and park in Vail on Wednesday morning. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

The “new, young superintendent,” O’Brien said, looked through his paperwork and found that 17 cars could be handled by one engine and ordered that the train descend the mountain. The problem was, no one took into account that the circus cars were about twice the length of standard cars. The length coupled with the weight of the animals was too much for the single engine, air brakes and hand brakes.

The train had brakes coming down the mountain, through switchbacks and a mini horseshoe curve, but by the time it reached Vail, it lost its brakes and jumped the tracks.

The wreck, at about 5:30 a.m., left a devastating scene of twisted metal, dead and injured circus animals and resulted in the deaths of five people — Barney Multany and William Thomas Lee, two canvas-men, and William Heverly, the hand-brake man. All three are buried at Grandview Cemetery in Tyrone, where a wreath was laid Wednesday as part of the annual commemoration.

Also killed were Frank Train, the treasurer of the circus, and laborer James Strayer.

A sixth death was attributed to the wreck, O’Brien said, noting that Robert Gates of Pennsylvania Furnace was killed the next day when a cable snapped and struck him in the head during cleanup efforts.

Leonard Alwine (left) and John Fisher of Altoona descend the stairs to the former railbed at the Walter L. Main Circus Train Wreck monument park in Vail on Wednesday morning. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Before a small crowd of area residents, train aficionados and contractors who attended the memorial service, O’Brien disclosed that her home is built partially on the site where the animals killed in the train wreck are buried. Among those buried were nearly 70 horses, O’Brien said, including that the circus’s prized pony, “Little Daisy,” who leaped through rings of fire, was badly injured and died the next day.

Many animals also escaped the wreckage and were recaptured, though one tiger was killed when it attacked a cow being milked. There were also reports that exotic birds and many snakes were never found, and one trapper reported seeing a kangaroo while making his rounds.

“This is a landmark in our lives … it affected the entire community,” said state Rep. Scott Barger, R-Blair.

While it may be history, the wreck remains a talking point and the memorial service offers “a reminder to pause and remember.”

“Out of this tragedy came something wonderful,” O’Brien said, pointing out how two different lifestyles — the vagabond circus personnel and the conservative residents — bonded over the wreck and became friends.

“Walter (Main) never could get over the kindness” of strangers, and friendships were forged that lasted for generations, she said.

Drew Baker, pastor at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sinking Valley, spoke of Main’s perseverance in continuing to operate his circus in the face of tragedy.

He also cited O’Brien’s perseverance in keeping the memorial service going and for being on board with the project to revitalize the memorial site.

Baker reminded those gathered that “many of us are descendants” of the townspeople who turned out to help that fateful day.

“While this might be 132 years past, keep the generosity going,” he urged.

Addressing the contractors and others gathered for the service, Baker said “we are eternally grateful for all the work you’ve put into this.”

The $87,000 project was paid for with American Rescue Plan Act funds and includes a parking area, among other improvements. The land is owned by Snyder Township, O’Brien said, but no one knew who owned the previous monument.

Altoona residents Leonard Alwine and John Fisher usually attend the memorial service each year and made a point to attend this year, despite the rain, because they wanted to see the recently completed monument.

After walking up the new stairs to where the tracks would have been, the two said they didn’t expect it to be so nice.

“This is first class and then some,” Alwine said, noting in previous years they “had to scramble” up the hillside to reach the track bed.

When several people at the gathering credited O’Brien for being the impetus behind the upgraded site and the ongoing services, as well as her

fount of information on the train wreck, she demurred the accolades.

“I don’t want praise for me,” she said. “I don’t want them to forget.”