From Futility Closet: The Great Crush Collision
Apparently bored in 1896, Texas railroad agent William G. Crush decided to make his own fun. He got two train engines, painted one green and one red, and set them at opposite ends of a two-mile track. Then he sent them toward each other at 45 mph:
Viewed strictly as a publicity stunt, it was a great success: Crush’s advertising had attracted more than 30,000 spectators. Unfortunately, falling debris killed two of them. Moral: Stick to pinochle.