One of the colony’s earliest railway disasters occurred at the foot of Lapstone Hill at Emu Plains. An 'up' train from Sydney did not wait for the 'down' train from Mt Victoria and the two collided and tumbled down an embankment. The ‘down’ train was expected to 'cross' at Wascoe's Siding, but it had gambled on a clear line to Emu Plains and was now hurtling down the final section of Lapstone Hill towards the ‘up’ train. Two people sustained fatal burns and an assistant guard was also killed.