Report on the Collision which occurred on 22nd December 1955 at Hellifield Station

[_railman]

Hello all,

Thank you for accepting me into the forum. This is my first post, and having read the rules, I cannot see that it is against them, if so, apologies.

I am looking to buy, if available, an original/period copy of the report in the subject heading above.

My local station is Hellifield, North Yorks, and recently I have been researching the history of the railway nearby and have discovered that one man, Thomas Robinson, a Signalman, used to live in my own house.

On the 22nd December 1955 at Hellifield Junction there was an accident which injured multiple people. Thomas Robinson was found responsible for the accident as a result of ‘irregular’ working. It made for a rather interesting read. As he used to live in the very same house, I think it will be something nice to add to the archive of other paperwork I have. I have found a copy online, but that is not the same as an ‘original’.

Accident at Hellifield on 22nd December 1955 :: The Railways Archive

Archive of UK railways documents

www.railwaysarchive.co.uk

Accident Summary
Accident at Hellifield on 22nd December 1955
Location Hellifield
Train Operator British Railways (London Midland Region)
Primary Cause Signaller error
Secondary Cause Driver error
Result Rear collision
0 fatalities, 5 injured
Accident Investigation Status This accident has been the subject of a published formal accident investigation, which you will find below.

I saw there was one for sale at auction only a matter of weeks ago but I only saw that after it was sold!

If anyone can help, please let me know.

Many thanks,
Connor

 

[Mcr Warrior]

@_railman. Welcome to the forum. Would imagine that originals of official Railway Accident reports from over two-thirds of a century ago rarely come to market. Suppose you could always put your name on the specialist auctioneer's mailing list in case anything comes up again in the future. Good luck with your quest!

 

[Magdalia]

I am looking to buy, if available, an original/period copy of the report in the subject heading above.

Would imagine that originals of official Railway Accident reports from over two-thirds of a century ago rarely come to market.

I wouldn't be so pessimistic.

Accident reports frequently appear at auctions of railway paperwork. Sadly, it often a result of disposal of collections owned by people who have passed away.

But it will require diligence and perseverance. Some auction lot descriptions are very vague.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Accident reports frequently appear at auctions of railway paperwork. Sadly, it often a result of disposal of collections owned by people who have passed away.

Indeed. Railway accident reports do seem to appear for sale on the likes of 'Ebay' every now and then. But not necessarily the one relating to Hellifield. Looks like the set that recently sold at auction was one of eight different reports bundled up in a job lot. Wonder whether the buyer was specifically wanting the Hellifield accident report from 1955 or maybe just one of the other seven?

 

[nlt]

From the Portsmouth Evening News, 22 Dec 1955

 

[Gloster]

There was an article in Backtrack a while back: I think it was Volume 22, Number 7; July 2008. There were a couple of letters an issue or two later: I know, I sent one of them in. (I am not definite about the dates.)

 

[Taunton]

I have found a copy online, but that is not the same as an ‘original’.

Accident at Hellifield on 22nd December 1955 :: The Railways Archive

Archive of UK railways documents

www.railwaysarchive.co.uk

Ever since the reports were all made available on line (very reasonably, of course) the bottom dropped right out of the market for the originals, and secondhand dealers just don't do them any more, when they buy up people's old collections (their principal stock source).

There are likely the odd one or two still around, possibly in Hellifield itself with families who were involved, possibly the grandchildren of those mentioned in the report - in those days names were given there. Asking around knowledgeable old hands may give you a lead.

 

[12LDA28C]

Hello all,

Thank you for accepting me into the forum. This is my first post, and having read the rules, I cannot see that it is against them, if so, apologies.

I am looking to buy, if available, an original/period copy of the report in the subject heading above.

My local station is Hellifield, North Yorks, and recently I have been researching the history of the railway nearby and have discovered that one man, Thomas Robinson, a Signalman, used to live in my own house.

On the 22nd December 1955 at Hellifield Junction there was an accident which injured multiple people. Thomas Robinson was found responsible for the accident as a result of ‘irregular’ working. It made for a rather interesting read. As he used to live in the very same house, I think it will be something nice to add to the archive of other paperwork I have. I have found a copy online, but that is not the same as an ‘original’.

Accident at Hellifield on 22nd December 1955 :: The Railways Archive

Archive of UK railways documents

www.railwaysarchive.co.uk

I saw there was one for sale at auction only a matter of weeks ago but I only saw that after it was sold!

If anyone can help, please let me know.

Many thanks,
Connor

Is there any reason why you can't just download the PDF file of the report from the Railways Archive website in the meantime?

 

[Mollington St]

-railman - I have had a look through my collection and sorry no copy , i have now sorted and listed 24 different issues i have on my site , ranging from 1946 (LMS) Balmuckety Level Crossing through to 1973 LMR Lower Darwen Derailment .
I have even looked to see if i had a copy of the 3 monthly issue that cover all Railway Accidents of the period , but i do not have the relevant 1955 issue . - I have attached a number of scans so you know what to look out for.
Hope that helps
PS - Not sure where your based but the 2 main UK Railway Paper Ephemera , will be at the Northwest Railway Fair in Crewe coming up shortly .June 22nd . They would be the people to ask

 

[_railman]

Thank you all so very much for your numerous replies, and apologies for the delay in mine, it is much appreciated.

Firstly, thank you all for your insights and help in the matter, hopefully one day one might come onto the open market again. I notice that the auction house has another auction in July so I will keep my fingers crossed.

nlt - Thank you for the newspaper article, I’ve not seen a photo of the crash before. Certainly looks as though it could’ve been more serious than it was!

Gloster - It was the August edition, I got a copy off eBay a little while ago. It made for a interesting read.

Taunton - Not something I had thought of, but definitely likely, thank you.

12LDA28C - I have, I just prefer the idea of having an original.

Mollington St - Thank you very much for taking the time to look through what you do have.

 

[riley1489]

I'm friends with the grandson of Geoffrey Segger who was so nearly obliterated in this accident, as described in the newspaper article attached by nlt. He lives in Hellifield.

I've just been in contact with him and he says that his relationship with the signalman was quite strained after this event, quite understandably! That implies the signalman kept his job, or was at least still employed at Hellifield, which seems quite surprising in the circumstances.

I'm meeting my friend in a few weeks time so will try to glean more information!

 

[Gloster]

I'm friends with the grandson of Geoffrey Segger who was so nearly obliterated in this accident, as described in the newspaper article attached by nlt. He lives in Hellifield.

I've just been in contact with him and he says that his relationship with the signalman was quite strained after this event, quite understandably! That implies the signalman kept his job, or was at least still employed at Hellifield, which seems quite surprising in the circumstances.

I'm meeting my friend in a few weeks time so will try to glean more information!

There was much more of an attitude that people did make mistakes and that the system should be designed to prevent them or, at least, prevent a mistake turning into a serious incident. They would not automatically adopt the attitude, all too common today, of dumping as much blame as possible on somebody at the bottom, sacking them and then saying ‘lessons have been learnt‘. That doesn’t mean that people would not be sacked, but culpability would be assessed on each individual’s actual mistake, rather than the consequences. In my opinion, in this case there was a serious design fault in the signalling in that signal 45 could clear again if the signalman failed to return the lever to Normal: this could and did cause an accident of the type that did occur if the signalman was distracted or a bit slow.

The signalman probably suffered some disciplinary action, but this could have ranged from a period of suspension before returning to work as before, to reduction in grade and a temporary or permanent block on working in a box. Remember, at least one of the signalmen from Quintinshill remained on the railway afterwards. My personal opinion is that the whole incident does have a slight feeling of back covering because such a potential gap in the system should not have been allowed.