The Bedford collision, recovery process discussion.

[orestad]

All 4 360 coaches and the rear 810 coach are now lined up in the field. Impressive progress for a day's work I think

That’s some commendable effort. To have it done in a day and in this weather is indeed impressive.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

There are literally two rail cranes on site right now working alongside the larger road crane to lift vehicles clear of the line of which at least around half of the total are already lifted.

Accident happened on Friday night, I would presume the earliest that Network Rail were able to get really going on preparing for the recovery was Saturday afternoon or even sometime on Sunday and by the middle of Monday they had vehicles being lifted clear.

I know people love going on about how it "back in the day they'd have had this sorted before supper" but I'm really not convinced that Network Rail are doing anything but moving at breakneck (but safe!) speed to get this cleared up. Perhaps we can give credit where it's due?

The point I was trying to get across was that relying on road cranes there is additional prep and setup times which we didn't used to see with rail cranes that delays start of recovery. However, NR and their supply chain have blown up that theory here!! Mind you having the road so close and levelish field has helped. From whats been reported the vehicles will be removed by tomorrow by the looks of it then it depends on infrastructure damage.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Jun 2026 ==

There are 2 Kirow rail cranes in attendance. They are multi purpose items including breakdown cover. They are much more advanced than the old breakdown crane and have to operate in a much more, er, "constrained" environment both operationally and legally than in the olden days. The Kirow 1200's can lift 125 tonne and there are 2 of them on site. I think the Cowans Sheldon breakdown crane was 30 tonne lift.

The cranes were on site by Sunday afternoon. They will move the rail vehicles to a location where the bigger road crane can hoist them out into the field and things seem to be moving quickly.

The breakdown cranes were 75 Tonnes and often two of those were needed.

The Kirow are excellent machines but they can only lift maximum weight end on when propped not free on wheels also without much elevation as they are largely optimised for moving P.Way panels but good to see them showing their wider attributes albeit under the wrong circumstances.

 

[AlterEgo]

There are literally two rail cranes on site right now working alongside the larger road crane to lift vehicles clear of the line of which at least around half of the total are already lifted.

Accident happened on Friday night, I would presume the earliest that Network Rail were able to get really going on preparing for the recovery was Saturday afternoon or even sometime on Sunday and by the middle of Monday they had vehicles being lifted clear.

I know people love going on about how it "back in the day they'd have had this sorted before supper" but I'm really not convinced that Network Rail are doing anything but moving at breakneck (but safe!) speed to get this cleared up. Perhaps we can give credit where it's due?

Also worth mentioning that back in the day the railway used to destroy its own property and kill people at an alarming rate, and was properly set up and equipped for large crashes because there was a business case to keeping stuff like shunters and mess carriages available at the drop of a hat. It was also much less efficiently staffed.

Thankfully fatal crashes are now rare; this one is eye catching precisely because it is rare. That (so far) there has been only a single fatality is probably the most notable thing about this accident compared to the 1970s. There will also be a unique opportunity to learn about crashworthiness from this incident, and I can well understand why the RAIB is looking to preserve the carriages as best they can in their accident state by roading them away.

The railway has also been quite good at underpromising and overdelivering and has learned from strategic errors in the past (2014 December engineering overrun scandal was a big deal at the time); I think the full week is a conservative estimate, and allows for - if possible - a reopening a day early, or, at least on time. It is very tempting to relentlessly criticise the railway but I really don't see how it is warranted in this case. Following a crisis, the railway must exert calm and control, and it is doing that.

 

[DelW]

I guess BR didn’t use those massive high capacity road cranes because they weren’t yet in widespread use?

As a comparison, 40 years ago the biggest telescopic crane in the country was 500t capacity (I used it on two sites to place concrete bridge beams). Any lift needing higher capacity than that meant using a lattice jib crane that could take a week to rig and derig, rather than a few hours. Now telescopics go up to (at least) 1200t capacity.

I know people love going on about how it "back in the day they'd have had this sorted before supper" but I'm really not convinced that Network Rail are doing anything but moving at breakneck (but safe!) speed to get this cleared up. Perhaps we can give credit where it's due?

I suspect that in "the old days" derailments were much more frequent, so it was worth keeping gangs and equipment on standby to deal with them. I doubt there were many lift plans prepared first, and no Health and Safety at Work Act to comply with.

in the US, where multi-wagon derailments seem to be at least a weekly event, there are specialist clean-up contractors who can be on site with their equipment within hours.

 

[Amos390]

Cranes are due to head back to Toton TMD tonight at 4AM, clearly Network Rail expect all carriages that be cleared by then. Here’s the schedule for anyone willing to get up in the early hours to catch it: https://live.rail-record.co.uk/train/?c= 84465&d=23/06/2026

 

[CalderRail]

That’s some commendable effort. To have it done in a day and in this weather is indeed impressive.

Let the crane take the strain

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jun 2026 ==

The railway has also been quite good at underpromising and overdelivering and has learned from strategic errors in the past (2014 December engineering overrun scandal was a big deal at the time); I think the full week is a conservative estimate, and allows for - if possible - a reopening a day early, or, at least on time. It is very tempting to relentlessly criticise the railway but I really don't see how it is warranted in this case. Following a crisis, the railway must exert calm and control, and it is doing that.

We might get some word on the repair timescale tomorrow. Now that the units have been hoisted out of the way NR will be able to make a better assessment of the track damage.

 

[Amos390]

We might get some word on the repair timescale tomorrow. Now that the units have been hoisted out of the way NR will be able to make a better assessment of the track damage.

Should go even faster now, NR have just had an auto track layer delivered to Bedford by rail (6Z99), that thing should get the track swapped out in a heartbeat, speed up the repairs and reduced manual labour at such a hot time, a win-win really.

 

[millemille]

I was present for the duration of the recovery of 365526 at Potters Bar and vividly remember a massive Baldwins road crane turning up on site, something like this...

...and a collective "expletive deleted, that's a big crane" being uttered.

And the driver laughing and saying "no chaps, this is the crane to put up the big crane..." and they proceeded to assemble a crane like this one...

And then the operators proceeded to spend several days in the WRVS mobile canteen* drinking tea and eating bowl after bowl of jam rolly poly and custard (other deserts are available, the value of your cholesterol may go up as well as down...) with one of them popping out every hour or so with an anemometer to check the windspeed was still to high for them to lift.

I have a memory of if costing £100k a day, at 2002 prices, for the cranes and crew and I think it took 2 days before the wind speed dropped enough for them lift.

*the WRVS could teach the army a thing or two about rapid deployment, as the dust was still settling at Potter Bar their mobile canteen turned up and within minutes starting churning out gallons of tea and food that stuck to your ribs and carried on for days without a break.

 

[sharpener]

I was present for the duration of the recovery of 365526 at Potters Bar and vividly remember a massive Baldwins road crane turning up on site, something like this...

This is perhaps the incident I mentioned in the other thread where Baldwins' MD (it was definitely them) sent their two biggest cranes the moment he heard. It was specifically reported in the newspapers.

Of course they may have had a framework contract at the time (as @Nicholas Lewis has mentioned in connection with Ainscoughs) in which case there will have been little commercial risk. And the value of £100k a day is only notional if they are sitting in the yard.

 

[DarloRich]

The breakdown cranes were 75 Tonnes and often two of those were needed.

of course - you are quite right. Don't know where I got 30T from!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I know people love going on about how it "back in the day they'd have had this sorted before supper" but I'm really not convinced that Network Rail are doing anything but moving at breakneck (but safe!) speed to get this cleared up. Perhaps we can give credit where it's due?

This is terrific progress.

That’s some commendable effort. To have it done in a day and in this weather is indeed impressive.

Absolutely. They are doing a great job.

 

[Harpo]

I was present for the duration of the recovery of 365526 at Potters Bar and vividly remember a massive Baldwins road crane turning up on site,

In its early years, it took Railtrack a while to get to grips with crane operators turning up on spec at incidents and getting their contracts signed blind on site by staff who believed the crane had been ordered officially. There were some incredible invoices for a while but it was certainly under control by Potters Bar.

 

[westcoaster]

latest pictures on Facebook show all carriages removed and the rail cranes coupled up together. Bad damage to the track on the up fast line.

cant link from my Facebook but its by the Wondering Northerner Facebook page.

Edit think i got it now

Facebook

www.facebook.com

 

[kitchenoven]

latest pictures on Facebook show all carriages removed

New Network Rail video from ~30 mins ago also shows them all lined up being prepared. Video also mentions full track renewal as next step to service recovery (including a photo of wonky track). Must be hell working on site there in this heat, I don't envy them!

 

[HST125Scorton]

A lot of heavy work within this heat must of been tough! Fantastic work to all involved with the clear up.

Two engineering trains are heading towards the area at present
66301 & 66797 6G36 Toton North Yard to Bedford South Jn - https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:84904/2026-06-23/detailed
66849 6C54 Whitemoor Yard to Flitwick - https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:84779/2026-06-23/detailed

 

[Bald Rick]

Good video explains it well. Fair chance of a ‘natural‘ stress of the rails if it’s done overnight (not tonight, for the avoidance of doubt).

 

[Banana]

Crane just left, just passed the Bedford railcam.

 

[Haywain]

Some new pictures on Facebook by "Wandering Northerner" (link below)showing the obvious track damage and all the vehicles of the two trains now sitting in the field.

Facebook

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Who did the rail crane belong to and where does it normally live?

 

[Mile Post 13]

Also worth mentioning that back in the day the railway used to destroy its own property and kill people at an alarming rate, and was properly set up and equipped for large crashes because there was a business case to keeping stuff like shunters and mess carriages available at the drop of a hat. It was also much less efficiently staffed.

What a breathtakingly ill-informed comment

 

[westcoaster]

Who did the rail crane belong to and where does it normally live?

I want to say Doncaster and Volker rail but I could be mistaken. Usually used on track and point renewals.

 

[AlterEgo]

What a breathtakingly ill-informed comment

Nonsense. It's exactly what changed as the safety case for railways morphed beyond a pre- H+SAW Act entity which had no responsibility to its employees and very little to its passengers. The way we are equipped to handle a crash of this nature is very different to how it was in 1970.

 

[bramling]

Nonsense. It's exactly what changed as the safety case for railways morphed beyond a pre- H+SAW Act entity which had no responsibility to its employees and very little to its passengers. The way we are equipped to handle a crash of this nature is very different to how it was in 1970.

I wouldn’t say BR and contemporaries didn’t care about safety. The world was very different then.

 

[AlterEgo]

I wouldn’t say BR and contemporaries didn’t care about safety. The world was very different then.

That is exactly my point.

 

[Mile Post 13]

That is exactly my point.

No it isn't your point was quite clear. You made perfectly clear your opinion that BR, and by extrapolation its staff, had no interest in safety. That is not only completely wrong but also grossly offensive to the many people still around such as myself who worked for BR.

 

[Elecman]

No it isn't your point was quite clear. You made perfectly clear your opinion that BR, and by extrapolation its staff, had no interest in safety. That is not only completely wrong but also grossly offensive to the many people still around such as myself who worked for BR.

And me !!

 

[AlterEgo]

No it isn't your point was quite clear. You made perfectly clear your opinion that BR, and by extrapolation its staff, had no interest in safety. That is not only completely wrong but also grossly offensive to the many people still around such as myself who worked for BR.

It's literally not what I said or implied. The point is that prior to tranches of significant legislation coming in, the railway had less of an impetus to look after the health and safety of the people who worked for it and used it. It does not imply negligence or lack of care. The reality is simple - fatal accidents were vastly more common 50 years ago, as were derailments, and this is why the railway had a much more ready in-house solution to attending accident scenes. They were more common for myriad reasons, but to claim the railway was impervious to the changing sands of legislation relating to health and safety is daft. In 1970 the railway had almost no responsibility at all for causing deaths of employees as it was governed by OSRPA 1963 which was extraordinarily weak when it came to actual industrial accidents and was superseded in law for good reason.

Don't invent what I said and then get offended at the made-up version. At no point did I ever say or imply BR "didn't care". It existed in a different time when there were different priorities and, for much of its existence, lower consequences for causing death or serious injury to people using it or working on it. That the Rule Book is written in blood does not equate to a slur on people who happened to work for BR.

 

[Mile Post 13]

It's literally not what I said or implied. The point is that prior to tranches of significant legislation coming in, the railway had less of an impetus to look after the health and safety of the people who worked for it and used it. It does not imply negligence or lack of care. The reality is simple - fatal accidents were vastly more common 50 years ago, as were derailments, and this is why the railway had a much more ready in-house solution to attending accident scenes. They were more common for myriad reasons, but to claim the railway was impervious to the changing sands of legislation relating to health and safety is daft. In 1970 the railway had almost no responsibility at all for causing deaths of employees as it was governed by OSRPA 1963 which was extraordinarily weak when it came to actual industrial accidents and was superseded in law for good reason.

Don't invent what I said and then get offended at the made-up version. At no point did I ever say or imply BR "didn't care". It existed in a different time when there were different priorities and, for much of its existence, lower consequences for causing death or serious injury to people using it or working on it. That the Rule Book is written in blood does not equate to a slur on people who happened to work for BR.

Strange then that it was only after Privatisation that I and others were taken to task for stopping trains or work on the grounds that it was not safe. My experience since is that "Managers" were quite happy to skirt around safety to achieve performance or financial targets.

The difference in safety culture was quite wide especially with the emerging Projects organisations

 

[AlterEgo]

Strange then that it was only after Privatisation that I and others were taken to task for stopping trains or work on the grounds that it was not safe. My experience since is that "Managers" were quite happy to skirt around safety to achieve performance or financial targets.

The difference in safety culture was quite wide especially with the emerging Projects organisations

Early privatisation had many issues indeed as the history books (and the accident reports) show. Railtrack was a total mess of perverse incentives. Regardless, no slur was intended on anyone who worked for any organisation; I have had many fine colleagues in the past who worked for BR.

 

[Mile Post 13]

Early privatisation had many issues indeed as the history books (and the accident reports) show. Railtrack was a total mess of perverse incentives. Regardless, no slur was intended on anyone who worked for any organisation; I have had many fine colleagues in the past who worked for BR.

Thank you for that. Having worked for both, the Railtrack model was better in my experience as old BR engineers retained control of Standards and practice. Things started to go downhill with West Coast Route Modernisation and went steadily down hill after Network Rail was created. Railtrack by another name and with the same people but with a different agenda where project managers from completely unrelated industries were suddenly the panacea for all ills. GWEP is probably the best example of where this led to and has continued into HS2. I know people who are absolutely useless who are drawing seriously high daily rates but who are hopeless but talk a good talk