HST Crash 29 July 1981

[Rocknroller]

This photo came up on Pinterest and the damage to this HST power car is very similar to the damage suffered to one that crashed between Hayes & Harlington and Southall at about 17.30 on 29 July 1981. I was on the train and I have been trying since then to find out how it happened without success, despite looking up the records of the RAIB at Reading during the 1990s.
The circumstances were that the train was traveling at about 125mph when it went through Hayes & Harlington when the driver made an emergency brake application, the train slowed rapidly but between about 5 and 10 mph hit a parcels train on the same track. The second vehicle from the rear of the parcels train was pushed up onto the third from the rear but remained there and didn't block any of the other lines. After quite a while the rear power car of the HST pulled the train back into Hayes & Harlington station where we were all able to get off and transfer to a DMU to continue into Paddington. This was when I was able to see the damage to the power car. I don't think the crew were injured because most of the damage was under the cab as in this photo. A lot of people were standing in the train but I don't think there were any serious injuries.
I don't understand why I can't find a report about the accident as it could have been very serious if it had occurred in the winter or if it was wet weather or the driver hadn't been so alert.
Hopefully someone on this forum might know more about it.

 

[driver9000]

The RAIB didn't in exist in those days and not all accident reports were released publicly. The only report that comes up on the Railways archive website is the unrelated Seer Green collision which happened on 11 December 1981 but some incidents didn't warrant a full HMRI investigation so unless an internal BR report still exists somewhere you're unlikely to ever find it.

That isn't the a photograph of the power car from the crash you describe as the Swallow livery didn't come about until the late 80s.

 

[Beebman]

I don't recall anything about the crash in spite of being a semi-regular user of the GWML at the time, however 29 July 1981 was the date of the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer so maybe the accident got pushed down or even out of the news agenda? I do remember going over to Basingstoke to see 73142 on its way to Romsey with the royal 'honeymoon' train but I have no recollections of anything else railway-related happening that day.

 

[stuving]

What looks like that accident is reported in various local papers on 24th July 1981, as happening to the 16:10 Bristol-Paddington HST and the 12:28 Swansea-Paddington parcel train on Wednesday 22nd July. I guess the OP has the date wrong. No-one was hurt more than bruises and a bit of shock, so "the inquiry" would not have got much attention, even if it was published.

PS: a later report (31 July) says that "...investigations will soon be completed but the finding will not be made public. 'The department of Transport decided what to do with it', a spokesman said"

 

[Cach17]

Looking up the pic on Google Images (by searching for the unrelated Southall crash, no less) I came across this old thread which explains the photo's origin, namely a (non-fatal) collision 43018 had with a 165 just outside Paddington in November 1995. As driver9000 pointed out there's no way it could be from 1981.

 

[Darandio]

In fairness to the OP, nowhere did they suggest the image was from the 1981 crash.

 

[Rocknroller]

What looks like that accident is reported in various local papers on 24th July 1981, as happening to the 16:10 Bristol-Paddington HST and the 12:28 Swansea-Paddington parcel train on Wednesday 22nd July. I guess the OP has the date wrong. No-one was hurt more than bruises and a bit of shock, so "the inquiry" would not have got much attention, even if it was published.

PS: a later report (31 July) says that "...investigations will soon be completed but the finding will not be made public. 'The department of Transport decided what to do with it', a spokesman said"

Thanks for your reply, I thought it was the same day that Charles & Diana got married but it looks like it was a week earlier as everything else fits. I can't understand how it wasn't taken more seriously because either the driver went through a red signal or there was a signal failure either of which is a very serious matter.
In response to some of the other comments I realised it is not a photo of the HST involved in my accident but it reminded me of it.
I worked for BR in the 90s and some more minor incidents were taken more seriously and properly investigated.

 

[Commoner]

I have been doing a bit of detective going through my HST records and can add the follwing in case it might be of interest. Set 253 021 formed 43043/120, 41043/44, 40307, 42063/64/65, 44021 was recorded at Old Oak Common yard with collison damage to 43043 on 22.07.81. The set minus 43120 was hauled to Works for repair on 03.08.81. The Work's record records that 43043's No.1 bogie was realigned, brake cyclinders replaced, AWS equipement replaced and new cab fitted. The set, with 42270 replacing 42064 and the addition of 43030 (also in Works for collision damage) was returned to the WR on 21.08.81. They didn't hang about in those days!. A pic of the set, which can only be 253 021 being hauled to Derby can be found here https://www.flickr.com/photos/192105233@N06/51782895348/in/dateposted/

I kept very close track of HST operations on the WR during this time - this must have been the set the OP was travelling on, as all other sets, apart from those in for scheduled overhaul were operational in August 1981.

 

[stuving]

Thanks for your reply, I thought it was the same day that Charles & Diana got married but it looks like it was a week earlier as everything else fits. I can't understand how it wasn't taken more seriously because either the driver went through a red signal or there was a signal failure either of which is a very serious matter.
In response to some of the other comments I realised it is not a photo of the HST involved in my accident but it reminded me of it.
I worked for BR in the 90s and some more minor incidents were taken more seriously and properly investigated.

Those news reports say that the brakes were being examined, suggesting brake performance was the suspected cause. But we don't have anything to tell us whether the BR inquiry came to that conclusion.

 

[Ashley Hill]

Looking up the pic on Google Images (by searching for the unrelated Southall crash, no less) I came across this old thread which explains the photo's origin, namely a (non-fatal) collision 43018 had with a 165 just outside Paddington in November 1995. As driver9000 pointed out there's no way it could be from 1981.

Yes,that old thread does confirm it as 43018. Interestingly that 2009 thread happily discusses class 255 formations, albeit as a 2+5. Forward thinking??

 

[Gloster]

Thanks for your reply, I thought it was the same day that Charles & Diana got married but it looks like it was a week earlier as everything else fits. I can't understand how it wasn't taken more seriously because either the driver went through a red signal or there was a signal failure either of which is a very serious matter.
In response to some of the other comments I realised it is not a photo of the HST involved in my accident but it reminded me of it.
I worked for BR in the 90s and some more minor incidents were taken more seriously and properly investigated.

Incidents were taken seriously then and properly investigated, but sensible decisions were made as to whether a wider inquiry is needed. If the causes were quickly obvious and there were no wider ‘learning points’, then there is no need for a long and complicated process: BR would hold an inquiry and send a report to the inspecting officers, who would consider if further action need be taken. I believe that an inquiry was only statutorily required if a train accident caused death or serious injury to a passenger.

This sounds to me as if the driver missed the double-yellow, and possibly the single yellow, and made an emergency brake application only when he realised or saw the red. As a result the train passed the red and went up the back of the parcels. If the driver admits his error and all equipment proves to have been working correctly, why do you need an inquiry? (Note: the explanation given is my speculation/interpretation of #1 and is not based on any inside knowledge.)

The attitude then was to find out how an accident had come about, draw the necessary conclusions and decide what must be done, and then carry out such measures as soon as possible. If an accident is straightforward and requires no measures, we dont need an inquiry. I am afraid that now everybody feels that they need to show how seriously they are taking even the most minor incident that they are concentrating on an inquiry rather than putting any measures into practice. One of these days there will be two simliar accidents, of which the second could have been prevented if the causes and required action of the first had quickly been passed down the line rather than waiting for the end of a lengthy inquiry. (This is not a purely railway problem.)

 

[eastwestdivide]

Worth trawling through the magazines for that period if you can lay your hands on them?