Wilsele railway accident
In the Wilsele railway accident on December 2, 1954, a train derailed near Wilsele (now a district of Leuven ), Brabant Province , Belgium . 21 people died.
Starting position
Due to construction work, only one track was available on the double-track line , over which traffic had to be handled in both directions. Connection switches made it possible to change tracks . In the area of the switches it was only allowed to drive at reduced speed.
On the railway line was a special train on the way, visitors to the international football match between England and Germany , the day before the stadium Wembley in London had taken place, according to Germany brought back.
the accident
For an unexplained cause - the engine driver and stoker of the steam locomotive leading the train were also among the dead - the train did not reduce its speed when it passed the switch that led it onto the track in the opposite direction. The locomotive and three following cars derailed. The second car was smashed in the process. The scene of the accident was 180 meters from the bridge over the Dijle River .
literature
- Peter WB Semmens: Disasters on the rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 .
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 50 ° 54 ′ 6.1 " N , 4 ° 42 ′ 17.1" E