Great Western Railway - Ultra Safe ?

[Peter KS]

In 'Red for Danger' L.T.C. Rolt draws attention to the excellent safety record of the Great Western Railway and suggests it was due to the 'esprit de corps' of its people.

Organisational sociologists are becoming very interested in the safety cultures of different companies in the same industry. They want to understand exactly why some companies seem to have fewer than their fair share of accidents and incidents while others are worse. Hopefully the less safe companies can learn how to become safer.

The fifty year period (1890 - 1940) during which the GWR suffered no major express train accidents has been seen as exceptional.

How does this record compare with other railways of similar size at that time?

Is anyone aware of any research on this subject?

Any ideas?

 

[25322]

In 'Red for Danger' L.T.C. Rolt draws attention to the excellent safety record of the Great Western Railway and suggests it was due to the 'esprit de corps' of its people.

Organisational sociologists are becoming very interested in the safety cultures of different companies in the same industry. They want to understand exactly why some companies seem to have fewer than their fair share of accidents and incidents while others are worse. Hopefully the less safe companies can learn how to become safer.

The fifty year period (1890 - 1940) during which the GWR suffered no major express train accidents has been seen as exceptional.

How does this record compare with other railways of similar size at that time?

Is anyone aware of any research on this subject?

Any ideas?

Notice the wording. EXPRESS TRAIN ACCIDENTS

and does that include subsiduaries of the GWR, cos if it does at Abermule there was hell of a smash that killed quite a few folk and involved an Express

have a look here http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/

 

[Old Timer]

Words such as "major", "significant", etc which have been mentioned in this regard also need clarification, because without this they become meaningless.

 

[Peter KS]

In response to 25322's post, the Abermule accident occurred in January 1921 which was two years before the Cambrian Railway was grouped into the Great Western Railway.

 

[Celtic Crusader]

The Norton Fitzwarren rail crash of 1940?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Fitzwarren_rail_crash_(1940)