Goswick Railway Accident

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the Goswick railway accident on October 26, 1947, the Flying Scotsman derailed at the railway station in the village of Goswick , Northumberland , England , on the East Coast Main Line . 28 people died.

Starting position

The Flying Scotsman of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) from Edinburgh Waverley to London Kings Cross was supposed to pass through Goswick station on an overhaul track that day , as repairs were being carried out on the main track. The connecting switch was only designed for a maximum speed of 15 mph (a little over 20 km / h).

The train was pulled by the Merry Hampton steam locomotive , No. 66 of the LNER class A3 with a tender . In addition, he drove 15 four-axle express train passenger cars . With around 420 passengers , the train was almost fully booked.

The route of the train in Goswick station , which deviates from the usual, was made known to the locomotive personnel in the Haymarket depot , the home depot of the train's locomotive. In addition, the distant signal in front of the entrance signal to the station indicated that the speed should be reduced. The entry signal, however, then presupposed that the engine driver had perceived this information and only showed "Drive free" (for entry into the overtaking track).

the accident

The locomotive crew neglected to read the notice in the Haymarket depot . There was then an unauthorized passenger in the driver's cab during the journey - whether his presence distracted the driver remained unclear. In any case, the engine driver at the distant signal for Goswick did not notice the displayed speed limit. He later claimed that the reason was steam escaping from the locomotive. At 12:47 p.m. the train ran over the switch at almost 100 km / h and derailed almost completely except for two cars . The locomotive and its tender tilted to one side, landing relatively "softly" in a field and sustaining comparatively little damage.

This was the last major rail accident in Great Britain before the railroad was nationalized to British Rail in 1948 .

consequences

28 people died, including a train employee. 65 were seriously injured and another 25 were slightly injured. The well-known biochemist John Mason Gulland (1898–1947) was among the dead .

The investigation into the accident essentially put the blame on the engine driver.

See also

literature

  • LTC Rolt : Red for Danger . Pan Books 1956 (and other editions).
  • JAB Hamilton: British Railway Accidents of the 20th Century . (Reprinted under the title: Disaster down the Line ). Javelin Books 1967.

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ Functionally, this corresponded to the La on Deutsche Bahn.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Trench: Report on the Derailment .
  2. ^ JW Cook: Obituary Notice (John Masson Gulland, 1898-1947) . In: Biochemical Journal v. January 1, 1948, p. 161.

Coordinates: 55 ° 42 ′ 18 "  N , 1 ° 55 ′ 37.2"  W.