Arévalo railway accident
The railway accident Arévalo January 11, 1944 was a rear-end collision in the station of Arévalo , Spain . 41 people died.
Starting position
There were two trains on the Madrid – Hendaye (- Irún ) line : train no. 21 from Madrid to La Coruña , followed by express train no. 1 from Madrid to Hendaye .
Train No. 21 consisted of a locomotive and 10 cars : a baggage car , two rail mail cars (one to La Coruña and one to Vigo ), a 1st class car (according to the old class division) with sleeping compartments , two 1st / 2nd cars. Class and four 3rd class cars. The train left Madrid's Príncipe Pío station on January 10 at 10:15 p.m. He reached Arévalo station at around 2:25 a.m. 16 minutes late .
Train No. 1 consisted of a boxcar , a rail mail car , two sleeping cars , four 1st class cars, one 2nd class, two 3rd class cars and two 1st / 3rd class cars. Class. He left the Príncipe Pío station on January 10th at 11:00 p.m. The express train was also a few minutes late because it was stopped by a slow freight train ahead. As planned, no stop was planned for him in Arévalo .
the accident
The journey of train no. 21 was normal as far as the Sanchidrián station . On the exit from the station, an employee noticed a strange noise in the first of the two rail mail cars and activated an alarm signal. A traveler in the first passenger car noticed flying sparks emerging from under the rail mail car and also activated the alarm signal. When the train reached the Arévalo station, it drove into platform 1, the through-track directly at the station building . The engine driver informed the on-board mechanic that something was wrong with the braking system and that it needed to be checked. A part of the brake on the front chassis of the rail mail car had come loose and was dragging along the track, causing the flying sparks. It has been estimated that it would take 10 minutes to complete the repair. Since the train with the defective brake was not supposed to move either, it stopped in the through track for repairs. To the rear it was secured by the entry signal showing “Halt” and by bang caps .
At around 2:45 am, the express train approached the Arévalo station, ran over the distant signal indicating “Wait stop” and the entry signal for the station indicating “Stop”. He drove into the station at high speed. Witnesses observed that he then braked with all his might, gave counter-steam and the exploding pods could be heard. Nevertheless, he drove into the back of the stationary train, the last two cars of which were smashed, heavily occupied 3rd class cars with wooden superstructures, which resulted in the high number of victims.
consequences
41 people died, 78 were also injured. The aid provided by the local population has been classified as exemplary by the state. The city received the civil order of merit Orden de la Beneficencia and the additional title "Muy Humanitaria" (very humanitarian), which has since been included in the city coat of arms.
Just two weeks later, the criminal trial opened in front of the Juzgado Especial de Accidentes Ferroviarios de la Primera Región Militar (Court for Railway Accidents in the First Military Region) in Madrid . On February 11, 1944, the engine driver was convicted.
literature
- Procedimiento número 123.523 sobre responsabilidad del personal de la estación de Arévalo en el accidente ocurrido en la misma el día 11 de enero de 1944 con motivo del alcance del tren número 21 por el expreso número 1 . Caja 2338/3. Juzgado Especial de Accidentes Ferroviarios de la Primera Región Militar (Madrid). Archivo General e Histórico de la Defensa, Madrid.
- NN: Las otras Tragedias . In: Diario de Ávila of March 27, 2010 (accessed December 18, 2016).
- Decreto de 28-12-1945, for the same dispone el ingreso en la Orden Civil de Beneficencia de la Villa de Arévalo . In: Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE) of January 31, 1946, No. 31, pp. 846f.