Roll of Honor
William R. Plummer
Incident
Police Officer William Plummer was struck and killed by a train while making his rounds at the Pennsylvania Railroad depot in Tyrone, Pennsylvania.
He was checking several boxcars that were parked on a siding when an eastbound freight train approached. As he stepped off of the track he was struck by a westbound express mail train. It is believed the sound of the of freight train, combined with being on a sharp curve, prevented him from noticing the express mail train.
Officer Plummer had served as a police officer and night watchman for the Pennsylvania Railroad for approximately 11 years. He was a widower and survived by his seven sons and one daughter. He was predeceased by three other sons.
In Our Keeping
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
147 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Officer Plummer gave the Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Philadelphpia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer William R. Plummer is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department, 22 of 36 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 61.1% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William R. Plummer's cause is highlighted.
How William R. Plummer Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William R. Plummer is highlighted in Nov.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
35 officers from Pennsylvania Railroad Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
