Salisbury Railway Accident

Admission on the day of the accident

Sketch of the track system in the area of Salisbury station. The accident curve is located east of the train station

The Salisbury rail crash on July 1, 1906, due to excessive speed of a Boat Train causes of the station Plymouth Friary in Plymouth to London Waterloo Station was out and shortly after passing the station of Salisbury in a tight corner derailed. 28 people died in the accident and others were injured. Among the victims were 24 of the 43 passengers , engine drivers and stokers of the boat train , a brakemanand the driver of an oncoming freight train .

frame

The railway tracks of Salisbury originate from the early days of the railroad. The platforms lie in a sharp curve, which is followed by a counter-arc with a radius of around 160 m, which was allowed to be traveled at a maximum of 48 km / h before the accident .

Boat Trains were on this track Express trains that without traffic stop all stations between Plymouth and London drove through and only for a locomotive change in Templecombe held. They were the only trains that ran through Salisbury Station without stopping.

the accident

The train was out at night. He had left Plymouth late in the evening of June 30, 1906 and passed Salisbury station on July 1, 1906 at 1:50 am. Instead of the prescribed speed, the engine driver drove through the station and the curves at a speed of approximately 120 km / h. The reasons for this could never be clarified:

On the day of the accident, a locomotive of the newer LSWR L12 series was pre-tensioned, which had a higher center of gravity than the LSWR T9 otherwise used .
It was the first time that the engine driver drove a boat train through Salisbury Station without stopping.
After the exit curve at Salisbury Station, an uphill slope began. It was common for train drivers to make a “run-up” for this.
At the time of the accident there was fierce competition between the London and South Western Railway and the Great Western Railway in traffic between Plymouth and London for freight and passengers from overseas. The staff of the railway companies - tolerated by the management - competed in order not to lose passengers to the competition .

The locomotive tipped in the tight turn from the track, grazed an oncoming freight train , smashed a bridge abutment and finally struck against one behind the bridge standing steam locomotive . The first passenger car of the train was shattered by the inertia of the following cars on the locomotive, the second crashed against the girder of the bridge, the third was destroyed by the end car, which in turn was undamaged.

consequences

The permissible speed in the curve has been halved. To date, it is only allowed to travel at 24 km / h. In addition, every train had to stop at Salisbury station beforehand.

literature

JAB Hamilton: British Railway Accidents of the 20th Century .
Oswald Stevens Nock: Historic Railway Disasters . Ian Allan Ltd. 1980.
Norman Pattenden: Salisbury 1906 - An answer to the enigma? . Swindon 2001. ISBN 0-9503741-6-4 .
LTC Rolt: Red for Danger . Bodley Head / David and Charles / Pan Books 1956.

Individual evidence

↑ The number of victims is stated differently in the literature from 23 to 29. Obviously, the main difference arises as to whether only the passengers or also the killed railway workers are counted.
^ This explains the occasional statement that the accident happened on June 30, 1906.

[1] The number of victims is stated differently in the literature from 23 to 29. Obviously, the main difference arises as to whether only the passengers or also the killed railway workers are counted.

[2] This explains the occasional statement that the accident happened on June 30, 1906.