On March 14, 1940, 34 people were killed when a train hit a truck carrying more than 40 agricultural workers.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

I've added new material for 2026.

List of rail accidents (1940–1949)

1940

• March 14 – United States – Alamo, Texas: An oncoming train collides with a truck carrying more than 40 agricultural workers, results in the deaths of 34 people ranging in ages from ten to 48. The collision at the railroad crossing on Tower Road resulted in the most deaths on a Texas highway in the 20th century. A historical marker has been added to commemorate the passing of the great agricultural workers as well as a gathering during this time yearly.

Local News
City of Alamo honors the 34 who died in 1940 train accident

by: Joel Flores
Posted: Mar 15, 2017 / 02:04 AM CDT
Updated: Mar 15, 2017 / 02:04 AM CDT

Alamo residents gathered to honor the 34 people who died in a train accident 77 years ago [86 now, in 2026] on Tuesday morning.

On March 14, 1940, an oncoming train collided with a truck carrying more than 40 agricultural workers, killing 34 people ranging in ages from ten to 48. ... The collision at the railroad crossing on Tower Road in Alamo resulted in the most deaths on a Texas highway in the 20th century.

81-year-old Sixto Villarreal remembers the accident that killed four of his father’s cousins. ... “There was a rosary and mass every Saturday,” said Villarreal. “It was very hard, and for those who died, poor them.”

Former mayor, Rudy Villarreal, was six years old when the train accident occurred. He says he remembers trying to leave school and head towards the wreckage, but his teacher didn’t allow him to. He says many across the Valley responded to help.

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This part is new:

New book preserves the tragic history of the deadly 1940 Alamo train crash

By Omar Zapata -February 16, 2024


Co-authors Taylor Seaver De La Fuente, left, and Juan P. Carmona, right, pose in the area where a 1940 train crash resulted in the deaths of 29 farmworkers near the intersection of Tower Road and Business 83 on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Alamo. (Joel Martinez | [e-mail])

Nearly 84 years after the Alamo train crash, Juan Carmona and Taylor Seaver De La Fuente stood at the exact place of the devastating accident with their new book, “The Deadly 1940 Alamo Train Crash,” which was written to preserve that deadly moment in Valley history and to remind people of the struggles of farmworkers.

Carmona is a Donna High School social studies teacher and De La Fuente is a UTRGV graduate student. They said the idea for the book initially started from a class project that discussed the event in a podcast. ... Both being the children of farmworkers who have a passion for Valley history, they decided to put their research into the book.

Published on Monday, Carmona said the book is the culmination of nearly three years of research with De La Fuente. The book dives into the details of the 1940 Alamo train crash, the aftermath and how it impacted the families involved.


A book about the 1940 train crash that resulted in the deaths of 29 farmworkers is shown on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Alamo. (Joel Martinez | [e-mail])

“Our history is not documented, a lot of it isn’t,” Carmona said. “It’s important to preserve it because it’s a story of farmer workers … and just the fact that they were just going out to feed the nation really, and they passed away and it had greater impacts on their families and those that were left behind.”

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Fri Mar 14, 2025: On this day, March 14, 1940, 34 people were killed when a train hit a truck carrying more than 40 agricultural workers.