Search results

The recent threads on the accidents at Lewisham and Clapham mention the memorials that have been erected at these tragic sites. This has prompted me to wonder how many similar memorials exist. Ones that come to mind include: At Harrow and Wealdstone, there is a plaque outside the North...

Wednesday, 4th December sees the anniversary of the accident at St John’s, Lewisham in 1957. With 90 fatalities and 173 injured, it remains the third- worst railway accident in the UK. Peter Tatlow’s ‘St John’s, Lewisham, 50 Years On’ (Oakwood Press, 2007) is recommended.

Wednesday 12th June will see the anniversary of the accident at Armagh in1889, on the Great Northern Railway of Ireland. It has been described as the most significant railway accident in UK history because it led to the Regulation of Railways Act 1889. The train was the annual Sunday School...

A reminder that next week will see the anniversary of the terrible accident at Quintinshill on 22 May 1915. A black day in UK railway history.

Wednesday of this week sees the anniversary of the Moorgate tube disaster on 28 February 1975. There were 43 fatalities when an underground train ran into a dead-end tunnel on what was then the Northern City line on the London Underground. There is no definitive explanation of the cause of the...

February 14th will see the anniversary of an accident that has been described as ‘a one-in-infinity’ error. The accident occurred in 1927 outside Hull Paragon station. In his haste to get a train away from the station, a signalman restored a signal to danger before the train had fully passed...

Recently Published: ‘Tinsley - The Signalman Who Simply Forgot’ by James Carron, published in October 2023 by Amenta. ISBN 9798863764160 This book makes extensive use of contemporary newspaper reports to describe the accident at Quintinshill on May 22nd, 1915, concentrating on the role played...

Thank you to all who contributed to the ‘Accidents in the month of December’ thread. Turning to the month of January, the most serious, in terms of the effect on the operation of the railway, is probably the accident on 6 January 1968 at the Automatic Half Barrier (AHB) level crossing at Hixon...

December is a bad month for accident anniversaries. In addition to Lewisham, major accidents that occurred in December include: - The Tay Bridge disaster, on 28 December 1879. - Elliot Junction: 28 December 1906, when an Edinburgh to Glasgow train running tender first in thick snow ran into a...

A reminder that Monday, 4 December sees the anniversary of the tragic accident at St John’s, Lewisham in 1957. There were 90 fatalities and 173 were injured. It is the third most serious railway accident in the UK. An detailed account of the disaster was written by Peter Tatlow to mark the 50th...

Monday, 23 January sees the anniversary of the accident at Sutton Coldfield in 1955. A York-Bristol express derailed on the severe curve in Sutton Coldfield station. There was a permanent speed restriction of 30 mph but it was estimated the express was travelling at 55-60 mph. There were 17...

A reminder that December 24th is the anniversary of the tragic accident in 1910 at Hawes Junction on the Settle to Carlisle line. In the early hours of Christmas eve, the signalman at Hawes Junction forgot that was holding two light engines on the northbound main line, waiting for a path to...

Purely by chance - and with no time to post a message on this forum - I noticed the 'Talking Pictures' TV channel was showing 'It's a Lovely Day Tomorrow' yesterday. This is a made for TV movie first aired in 1975. It shows a re-creation of the disaster which occurred at Bethnal Green...

A reminder that tomorrow, 8th October, is the 70th anniversary of the tragic double collision at Harrow and Wealdstone, the worst peacetime accident on British railways. Thoughts and prayers to any families still affected.

So sad to hear that Judith Durham, lead singer with The Seekers, has passed away. She had such a wonderful voice. I saw The Seekers’ at their Farewell Concert in the Albert Hall in 2014 and I swear that when Judith sang ‘The Carnival is Over’ there was not a dry eye in the house. Rest in...

The front cover of John Thomas's 'The West Highland Railway' (PB, third ed. 1984) has an excellent colour photograph of two locomotives taking water at Crianlarich. Both locos are blowing off steam. The lead loco is 62496, 'Glen Loy'. Does anyone know the origin of this photograph and whether...

In April 1948, a soldier going home on leave pulled the communication cord when a Glasgow – Euston express was passing Winsford, so that he could alight near to his home, rather than change at Crewe. As a former railwayman, he believed the stationary train would be protected. Unfortunately...

May 22nd will see the 105th anniversary of the UK’s worst railway accident, at Quintinshill, just north of Gretna, when a southbound troop train collided with a stationary local train and a northbound express ploughed into the wreckage. The death toll, mainly soldiers in the troop train, was 226...

The month of December brings the anniversary of a number of major railway accidents, notably Lewisham (4.12.57), Clapham (12.12.88) and Castlecary (10.12.37) plus equally tragic events at Elliot Junction, Hawes Junction and Ealing. The official reports into these events are highly detailed and...

In his book ‘Obstruction Danger’ (1989) Adrian Vaughan describes the accident which occurred on a single line at Parkhall, near Oswestry, in 1918. Two goods trains met head-on at a closing speed of 35 mph. Both crews had a valid tablet for the section. The Inspecting Officer reported that it...