Tsuchiura railway accident

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The railway accident in Tsuchiura　( Jap. 常磐線土浦駅列車衝突事故, Joban-sen Tsuchiura-eki ressha shōtotsu jiko ) in the three trains were involved, occurred on October 29, 1943 to 18:50 in the station of Tsuchiura ( 土 浦 駅 ), Ibaraki Prefecture , Japan , on the Jōban Line . At least 57 people died.

Starting position

The Jōban Line is a double-track railway line and a main line . Due to the Second World War , the signal systems were inadequately maintained and - as it turned out later - only functioned incorrectly: The dependency between signals and points was no longer given. Inexperienced staff were also employed and the communication equipment inadequate.

A freight train was shunting in Tsuchiura station . A second freight train was approaching Tsuchiura station from the north, which it was supposed to pass through without stopping. A passenger train was approaching the station from the south .

the accident

Due to the lack of dependency between signal and points, the shunting train with a steam locomotive came first on the continuous main track of the line . This was already cleared for the second freight train to pass through. The leading steam locomotive of the train passing through the station drove at the head of the shunting train in its flank. Both steam locomotives and some of the following freight cars fell from the track and onto the track in the opposite direction. A few seconds later the passenger train drove into the rubble of the accident site and also derailed . The locomotive and four wagons overturned from a bridge in the Sakura River ( 桜 川 ). Most of the people died here. The boilers of the three steam locomotives involved in the accident exploded .

consequences

At least 57 people died and 77 others were injured.

literature

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ According to other sources, 110 people died and 107 were injured.

Coordinates: 36 ° 4 ′ 40.9 ″  N , 140 ° 12 ′ 21.7 ″  E