West Harton Railway Accident

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The West Harton railway accident was a multiple collision between two trains and a parked group of cars on October 8, 1844 in West Harton , South Shields , England , which was based on the then very imperfect train protection systems. Two people died.

Starting position

The route of the Newcastle and Darlington Junction Railway from Shields to Newcastle upon Tyne was double- tracked. One track was reserved for passenger trains and the other for freight trains . Except for incidents, only one locomotive was reserved for passenger train service, the "LEOPARD", which then only used the track for the passenger trains. As is customary in train operations in Great Britain , the trains did not have train numbers , but were designated according to their departure time in the first station.

At 5 o'clock in the morning two trains were supposed to leave, which were both designated as "5 am": An early butcher train from Shields to Newcastle, the one on the passenger train ice, and a freight train made of empty coal wagons, also from Shields to Newcastle, that takes the Freight train track should run. The "butcher's train" consisted of a locomotive and a second class passenger car . The "LEOPARD" passenger locomotive had spent the night in Newcastle and therefore drove from there on the passenger train to Shields, with a slight delay.

The manager of the locomotive shed in Shields conveyed the order to the locomotive "NELSON" to take over "the 5 am to Newcastle" and meant the freight train. However, the engine driver received that he should take over the passenger train, whose locomotive had not (yet) arrived from Newcastle.

the accident

The "NELSON" sat down in front of the "butcher train" and drove off on time on the passenger train ice. After about 2.5 km, the "LEOPARD" came towards her on the same track. Both train crews saw the other locomotive approaching at West Harton and jumped off their respective locomotives. Before that, both locomotive drivers set the levers to "reverse". While the engine driver of the "LEOPARD" thought of turning off the steam supply at the same time, the engine driver of the "NELSON" failed to do so. After a slight collision, which at least left the “NELSON” on the track, it started moving backwards and its engine driver was no longer able to jump up. So she went as a " ghost " in the station Shields back and pushed their cars there before him. At the Shields train station, she met a group of parked cars , which she pushed into a buffer stop at the end of the track .

consequences

Two people died and nine others were injured.

See also

Web links