#Railway accidents

[drcpanda12]

New Post has been published on https://www.knewtoday.net/tragedies-on-the-tracks-notable-severe-railway-accidents-in-history/

Tragedies on the Tracks: Notable Severe Railway Accidents in History

Railway accidents have had a significant impact on the history of transportation, causing loss of lives, injuries, and devastating consequences. Throughout history, there have been several severe railway accidents that serve as reminders of the importance of safety precautions and the continuous improvement of railway infrastructure. These tragic incidents have led to advancements in safety regulations, technology, and emergency response systems.

In this article, we will explore some of the most notable railway accidents in history, shedding light on their causes, consequences, and lessons learned from these unfortunate events. By examining these incidents, we can gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by the railway industry and the ongoing efforts to prevent future tragedies.

Quintinshill Rail Disaster (1915)

This is one of the deadliest railway accidents in the United Kingdom. It occurred near Gretna Green, Scotland, during World War I. A signalman’s error led to a collision between a troop train and a local passenger train. Shortly after the collision, a following express train collided with the wreckage. A total of 227 people died in the accident.

An official investigation concluded on 17 June 1915 for the Board of Commerce, determined that the incident was caused by two signalmen’s disregard for the regulations. The northbound local train had been reversed onto the southbound line with the northbound loop occupied to facilitate the passage of two late-running northbound sleepers. Its presence was thereafter ignored, and the southbound troop train was allowed to proceed. As a result, both signalmen were charged with manslaughter in England, then convicted of culpable murder in Scotland following a trial; the two sentences are roughly similar. They were re-hired by the railway business after being freed from a Scottish jail in 1916, but not as signalmen.

Several victims were never found since they were completely burned by the fire, and when the bodies of the Royal Scots were returned to Leith on May 24, they were buried together in a mass grave at Edinburgh’s Rosebank Cemetery. The coffins were stacked three high, with the top row draped in the Union Flag.

Harrow and Wealdstone Rail Crash (1952)

The Harrow and Wealdstone rail disaster occurred on October 8, 1952, during the morning rush hour at Harrow and Wealdstone station in Wealdstone, Middlesex (now Greater London). The collision resulted in 112 deaths and 340 injuries, with 88 of those injured being hospitalized. It is still the worst train catastrophe in British history and the second-deadliest overall after the Quintinshill rail tragedy in 1915.

The disaster spurred the implementation of British Railways’ Automatic Warning System (AWS), which had been met with skepticism by certain industry expenditure-prioritizing specialists who reasoned that extra track circuits and color light signals would save more lives. AWS had been installed on one-third of British Rail tracks by 1977.

Balvano Train Disaster (1944)

The Balvano train catastrophe was Italy’s deadliest railway accident and one of the worst railway disasters in history. It happened on the night of March 2-3, 1944, in Balvano, Basilicata. After a lengthy standstill in a tunnel, almost 500 persons aboard a steam-hauled, coal-burning freight train perished of carbon monoxide poisoning.

On the evening of March 2, 1944, freight train 8017 left Naples bound for Potenza. It was made up of 47 freight wagons and weighed 520 tonnes; it also carried several unlawful passengers.

It arrived at the Armi tunnel, which is 1,968 meters long. As the engines reached the tunnel, the wheels began to slip on the tracks which were moist from humidity, and the train lost speed until it came to a halt with practically all of the cars inside the tunnel.

The air was already thick with smoke from a previous train, and the drivers’ efforts to restart the train prompted the locomotives to emit even more carbon monoxide-laden smoke. As a result, the crew and stowaways were progressively asphyxiated, and they were unaware of what was happening to them. The vast majority died peacefully in their sleep. The majority of the few survivors were in the final few wagons, which were still out in the open.

Several variables contributed to the accident. The primary cause was the railway officials’ lack of surveillance, which allowed so many stowaways to ride aboard the train. Low-quality coal, a lack of air in the tunnel, damp tracks, and the train’s double-heading instead of a push-pull arrangement all played a role. The proximate reason was a lack of cooperation between the two locomotive drivers. Furthermore, the death toll was exacerbated by the delay in rescue attempts.

Gare de Lyon Train Accident (1988)

On June 27, 1988, an SNCF commuter train traveling inbound to Paris’s Gare de Lyon terminal collided with a stalled outbound train, killing 56 and wounding 60, making it the third deadliest rail tragedy in postwar France.

When the train approached the platform, a passenger in the railway’s second car abruptly up, applied the emergency brake, and exited the train. After 26 minutes of labor, driver Daniel Saulin, supported by Guard Jean Charles Bovée, fixed the brakes and continued. This operation took longer than normal, causing more passengers to exit the train. To make up for lost time, André Tollance, the station controller at Gare de Lyon, authorized Saulin to bypass the next planned stop and the final before the terminal, Maisons-Alfort.

After passing through Maisons-Alfort, the train hit a four-degree incline that led to the Gare de Lyon. Saulin realized his brakes hardly worked after he passed a yellow light ordering him to slow the train in preparation for being shifted to an empty station. Saulin urgently radioed an emergency notice as the train accelerated from its fall, but he failed to identify himself to the controller. He activated the general alert on his radio and exited his cab to evacuate the passengers to the train’s rear.

The train collided with a delayed outbound train as its passengers evacuated, heeding warnings issued by the delayed train’s driver, André Tanguy, who valiantly remained in his cab at the time, repeatedly repeating a caution over the intercom until he was killed in the collision.

Santiago de Compostela Derailment (2013)

The Santiago de Compostela accident happened on July 24, 2013, when an Alvia high-speed train heading from Madrid to Ferrol in northwestern Spain overturned at high speed on a bend approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) outside the Santiago de Compostela railway station. The preliminary number of hospital fatalities among the 178 injured had reached 79 by the following 28 July.

When the train neared a curve on the track, its data recorder revealed that it was moving at more than twice the statutory speed restriction of 80 kilometers per hour. A track-side camera captured the collision, which showed all thirteen train carriages derailing and four toppling. On July 28, 2013, Francisco José Garzón Amo, the train’s driver, was charged with 79 charges of killing by professional carelessness and an unspecified number of counts of inflicting harm by professional recklessness.

King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia paid a visit to injured survivors in Santiago de Compostela.

As a result, the Spanish government announced a countrywide examination of all railway lines, signaling, and train drivers’ route knowledge.

[sudriantraveler]

Duncan's Accident Report

It was evening on the Skarloey Railway.

A very battered and bruised Duncan sat at the back of the workshops. His driver was sitting at a desk nearby with a pen and paper as Duncan dictated to him what to write.

Dear Sir,

I am writing in response to your request for additional information in block 3 of the accident report form.

I put “poor planning” as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explanation, and so I trust the following details will be sufficient.

I am an industrial engine by design. On the date of the accident I was working alone near the incline at the Skarloey Slate Quarry.

Work had to be stopped early, as the brakes on the incline winding gear had broken. However, I saw that there were some loaded slate trucks left over at the top of the incline which, when weighed later, were found to be slightly in excess of 46,000 lbs.

Rather than go and bring the trucks down myself using the longer, more winding path through the back of the quarry, I decided to send them down using the incline.

Since the brakes on the incline winding gear were broken, I decided to couple myself to the winding cable to ensure a steady descent as the trucks began to roll down.

You will note, in block 11 of the accident report form, that I weigh just under 18,000 lbs.

Due to the shock of being jerked forward so suddenly, my driver fell off the footplate and was unable to apply my brakes, and I was also unable to disconnect from the cable.

Needless to say I proceeded at a rapid rate of speed up the incline.

At about the halfway point of the incline I met the trucks, which were now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed, in spite of some of them having become derailed and hanging over my line.

This explained the fractured smokebox, minor scratches and the broken funnel, as listed in section 3 of the accident report form.

Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until my front end was buffers deep into the winding house.

Fortunately, through the impact I had remained connected to the cable, and managed to hold on in spite of beginning to experience a great deal of pain.

At approximately the same time, however, the trucks hit the buffers at the bottom of the incline, with several becoming uncoupled in the impact, and the remaining trucks being broken open and losing their loads of slate.

Now devoid of the weight of the slate and the uncoupled trucks, the remaining trucks weighed approximately 9,000 lbs. I refer you again to my weight of 18,000 lbs.

As you can imagine, I began a rapid descent back down the incline.

In the vicinity of the halfway point, I met the trucks coming up.

This accounts for the two fractured rear buffers, broken cab window and several dents along my cab and bunker.

Here my luck began to change slightly.

The encounter with the trucks seemed to slow me enough to lessen the damage I sustained when I crashed into the pile of slate, and fortunately only three crankpins were broken.

I am sorry to report, however, as I sat there in the pile of slate, in pain, unable to move, I became disconnected from the cable, and I sat there watching the empty trucks begin their journey back down to me. This explains the two broken cylinders.

I hope this answers your inquiry.

Signed,

Duncan

Inspired by this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf0_KQQeTjc

[postcard-from-the-past]

Locomotive accident at the Gare Montparnasse railway station in Paris

French vintage postcard

[duskstargazer]

[1957]

“That sounded like a Guard’s whistle…” Duck pondered. “But the train we banked should be well past Maron by now.”

The fireman looked back. “Good lord!” He gasped.

“What?”

“There’s been a breakaway on Gordon’s Hill.” The fireman reported. We should stop and alert the signalman-”

“No.” Duck growled. “We should do what we can to stop them.”

“And what’s your plan?” Demanded the driver.

“I’ve got a few good ideas - but most of them revolve around us clearing the station before those trucks!”

“I hope you know how reckless this is!” The driver shouted, as he reluctantly forced the regulator open.

“It’s better than letting them hurtle down the main line.” Duck replied.

The fireman shoveled for dear life. The driver watched the gauges anxiously.

“You’re building up a lot of pressure, Duck!”

“Good! We’re going to need it. For now, just make sure I get in front of that train!”

[the-rewritten-railway-au]

Thomas and the Pacifics

May 1930

The Adventure Begins (2015)

Word Count: 1,276

Thomas meets Henry, and Gordon teaches Thomas a lesson.

~

Once Thomas, Edward, and James arrived at Tidmouth, the mogul rushed away to find Annie and Clarabel. The smaller engines settled closer to the station. From where they were, Thomas noticed Emily waiting at the Big Station. She seemed cross and anxious, looking at something every few seconds.

“Could ye be a dear and shunt the Express coaches for Emily?” The E2 glanced at the 4-4-0, who appeared to be giddy. However, it was more like a failed attempt at hiding his giddiness. “I usually dae it but I hae a guids train tae take.”

“What? But I thought we'd be working together! Just like you said!”

“I'll haste ma boiler!” Edward's reassurance didn't do much for Thomas. Considering how long the Main Line was and how long it took Thomas to travel it, “soon” would be more than an hour for Edward.

And before Thomas could protest, Edward was off, leaving the tank engine alone. With a huff, the khaki engine scuttled about the yard, getting to work.

As Thomas passed the water tower and coal hopper, he noticed the green tender engine from the night before. “Hello there!” Might as well! “I'm Thomas. Who are you?”

“Henry,” he scoffed. “So you're the Fat Controller's new engine?”

“I am!” The tank engine puffed up, feeling unwelcome. “What about it?”

With mirth, Henry replied, “Nothing.” Henry's fireman climbed in and petted his cab. Said engine pulled away, leaving Thomas behind.

…

Eventually, Edward returned, though looking different.

“What are those?” asked Thomas, focused on the metal piece perched on Edward’s nose.

“Och, these?” he chuckled. “They’re glasses. I didnae mention it, did I?”

“No! But why?”

“Ma age might be gettin’ tae me!” The joke fell flat. “Anyhow, I see ye’ve done well!”

“My class was built for shunting! I told you that!”

“And thon ye did! Ye kept yer word, mate.” With two short whistles, Edward rolled along. “Ye take a break. I’ll take care o’ things frae here.”

“But-”

“I insist!”

“But-” I was built for this!  “-you’re a tender engine!”

“Diz’nae stop me frae ma job, noo diz it?” And he was off again.

Thomas pouted but relented. The late spring heat was getting to him. He eyed a shady spot at the edge of the yard. He settled down with his crew keeping an eye on his fire and chatting in his cab, occasionally petting their engine.

Then the afternoon came. And when afternoon came around, it was time for the noon Express. Thomas, now rested, grabbed the Express coaches temporarily set aside during his break and shunted them to the platform. With practiced ease, the tank engine reversed and braked, settling the rack of coaches.

He was thankful for these coaches. Such polite beings they could be when treated properly. “Thank you, thank you!” chortled the brake coach. “Thomas, was it?”

“Yes, ma’am!” replied the khaki tank engine. Such a drastic attitude compared to the few accidental bumps he gave them.

“Just in time! I’m impressed,” mocked Gordon as he backed down. “Unlike this morning…”

“Try sleeping somewhere else!” snapped Thomas, ignoring his crew. “Far away from your old home!”

“Oh, hurry up you!”

“Hurry up yourself!” With that, Thomas kept his mouth shut, right after apologizing for yelling in the brake coach’s face. She scolded him— a complete 180 of her attitude from mere moments ago.

He was not aware of Gordon’s grin. He didn't hear what Gordon said. The only warning he got was Gordon pulling him right along.

“Gordon, stop!” hollered the tank engine but the blue Pacific didn't listen. The noise of pistons pumping got louder and faster. Oh no, oh no, oh no! “Gordon!”

The stationmaster blew his whistle frantically, some of the passengers hollered, and the yardman chased after Thomas but it was too late. Gordon was off with the Express, pulling poor Thomas right along.

Green pastures and lush hills were nothing but blurs to the tank engine. His wheels ached as Gordon thundered past Knapford and Crosby. “Stop, stop!” exclaimed Thomas.

“Hurry, hurry!” Oh, if Thomas didn't like Gordon before, he sure didn't now. “Keep up!”

Cheeks burning, it was becoming harder to puff steam. The fast pumps of his piston drained his water supply. Oh, when will it end? When will it end? He needed to stop. At this rate, he felt like he would fall apart.

And as soon as Thomas pleaded, Maron Hill came into view. Its steep incline proved to be difficult for the grand blue engine, and the tank engine was ever thankful. With the little grace provided, he caught his breath.

He took in those few seconds as before he knew it, the ground was flat and Gordon would be off again. He braced himself for a burst of speed but it never happened. Instead, Gordon kept a steady pace.

Wait a minute. Is this the station on the hilltop? He recalled seeing it on his way to Tidmouth but he never got its name.

And much to his relief, it was. It was Gordon's next stop.

The Express engine came to a halt.

Finally, it was over as his driver applied the brakes.

His fireman, Archibald Higginbottom, or “Archie” as he was called, scrambled out of the cab with a shunter's pole and uncoupled the engine. He beat the awaiting yardman, who'd been notified of the incident.

“Now, little Thomas,” boasted Gordon. “Now you know what real work looks like!” Boisterous laughter erupted from the Pacific as he steamed away, leaving the poor tank engine behind.

“Come on, lad!” Archie stroked Thomas’ running board. “Let's get you some water!”

The tank engine hummed but once Mr. Perkins released his brakes, the ache struck the khaki engine. He tried to reach the water tower after the station but he only managed a meter or two.

“Come on, Thomas!” encouraged Archie.

“I can't-!” His voice cracked. The exhaustion was thick and clear. “I'm sore.”

“Well, we can't block the Main Line! Try again!”

“Wait!” Mr. Perkins popped out of his cab and pushed his body upwards on the edge. “I think an engine's coming! We can ask for help.”

“Who's coming down the line right now?” Archie scratched his sideburns absentmindedly. “No one should be coming down by now!”

A bright whistle was heard from a distance.

“We just might be in luck!” laughed Mr. Perkins before hollering, “Edward!”

The cerulean tender engine came around the bend. He came to a sudden stop, seemingly out of breath. “Thomas!”

“Perkins, is everything alright?” exclaimed Charlie.

“Once Thomas gets to the water tower, it will be.” He gestured towards the subject and was aware of the older engine's behavior. “Can you get Edward to move him?”

With a nod, Charlie pet Edward's cab. “Come on, lad. Let's get you switched over!”

“Aye, driver!” The tender engine backed up, switched over, and buffered up to Thomas. “Let's get you over there!”

Edward carefully shunted Thomas over. While the tender engine ignored the passengers, the tank engine felt embarrassed. Some of the passengers stared at the pair, particularly focused on the khaki engine. They were bewildered yet confused about why a tank engine was attached to a passenger train. Murmurs and gossip passed around, and it worried the crews.

“We’re almost there, Thomas,” soothed Mr. Perkins. “Ignore them.”

“This doesn't look good, Perkins.” Archie was on the edge, sweaty palms making the shovel slip from his hands. Once Thomas was at the water tower, the awaiting yardman worked to refill the engine’s tanks. “This is sure to make the railway look bad.”

Mr. Perkins huffed. “I only hope it gets Gordon to behave…”

~

As of posting this, I'll be taking a break from this arc and jump ahead in the timeline. The story I have in mind has been there for a while, and I can safely say that it won't be affected or affect stories before it. Yes, its important but it can stand on its own. It's getting a little dull, haha- so I'm gonna move to something I have ideas for.

With that out of the way, introducing Thomas' fireman! The Mr. Perkins segments are really nostalgic to me so I thought it would be fitting to have him be Thomas' first driver on the NWR, but I don't remember seeing Archie, unfortunately. However, Archie, from at first glance, reminds me of Junior from TaTMR (which i haven't finished watching, oops-). I wouldn't be surprised if they are played by the same actor though, lol.

As funny as CGI Henry can be, he does get annoying FAST. I absolutely LOVE early model era Henry so I'm gonna combine both, like I do with Emily. Compared to the previous rewrite I did, I like this a lot better since it does show that side more than the previous one.

Starting to limit the POVs I've been writing because if I don't, it gets chaotic f a s t. :(

Reblogs and comments are appreciated! Ty for reading! 🩵🌙

[asahicore]

nobody sitting next to me on this train with a 2 hour delay… time to grind this fic out 😭

[clove-pinks]

For the authentic Age of Steam disaster enthusiast: Steamboat Disasters and Railroad Accidents in the United States, by S.A. Howland. Available on Internet Archive!

The publication date is given as 1840, but as you can see from the title page, this edition is from 1846. REVISED and IMPROVED with even more thrilling incidents!

Despite the promise of railroad accidents, it seems to be almost entirely steamboats in predicaments.

[verypsbfan019]

"I'm still the same person under the surface"

A angsty illustration about James 👉👈❤🚂

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"LOCOMOTIVE OF C.P.R. IMPERIAL LIMITED IS THROWN INTO LAKE," Winnipeg Tribune. November 21, 1913. Page 1. ---- Fireman O'Connor, of Schrieber Drowned When Train Hit Rock Near Angler, Ont. ---- ENGINEER SAVED LIFE BY JUMPING --- Official Report Says That Only Baggage Car Left the Track and Mail and Passenger Cars Were Unscathed ---- While tearing along the eye-brow of a beetling cliff that overhangs Lake Superior, 178 miles east of Fort William, at 2 a.m. this morning, the first section of the C.P.R, westbound Imperial Limited, crashed into a gigantic boulder which had hurtled down on to the track from far up the precipitous cliff side. The engine was hurled from the steel into the charm of waters be neath, carrying in its mangled mass to a watery grave beneath, the living form of Fireman Ernest O'Connor, of Schreiber. The engineer escaped miraculously as the train struck, but his warning cry to his fellow workman was too late.

Luckily the engine broke away away from the rest of the train ere it plunged into the murky waters fur below. Three cars only left the track and the train held the foremost from following the engine into the lake which surged angrily fifty feet beneath. No one else was injured and in any case the death rate could not have been high as the train was composed only of transcontinental mail, express and baggage with a first class passenger couch at the rear occupied by but one man. There were. however, besides the engine crew, a conductor, two brakemen, a mail clerk and baggage and express agents on the train.

A Glancing Impact The impact of the train against the boulder was terrific, but its full force was not sustained by the cars owing to the fact that the force of the collision was sustained by the side of the train facing the cliff. This forced the engine over the lower cliff, but probably saved the whole whole train from being w reduced to splinters and being hurled in fragments against the rock on the one side or into the lake on the other. Had this happened many more fatalities must have resulted. Had the accident befallen the second section which was careening through the darkness a hundred miles behind and had the boulder been dead centre on the track one of the worst disasters in the history of Canadian railroads would have occurred.

A Wild Spot The section of the track in which the disaster occurred is one of the wildest and most picturesque on the whole Canadian Pacific railway through mountains, barren lands or prairies. prairie The track is built on a ledge of rock half-way up the cliff side. On the one side towers and frowns a solid wall of rock rudely torn by dynamite, while on the other is a sheer descent of fifty feet into the murky waters of of the largest inland sea in the world. The name of the town near which the accident occurred is Coldwell and it is on the Trans-Continental.

[sparkarrestor]

…James?

Happy 5/5/2+3 day!

[elladastinkardiamou]

R.I.P

Never forget that this was a disaster both foretold and preventable.

May the guilty be damned forever.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/2/greece-train-crash-2

[starstuc]

i still can’t comprehend that i can track anything that i order with accuracy, but a whole company AND the government does not have the right equipment to track two trains is making me lose my mind

[postcard-from-the-past]

Accident at the Gare Montparnasse railway station in Paris

French vintage postcard

[parttimereporter]

DID WE BASICALLY NUKE A TOWN SO WE JUST GET A RAILROAD OPEN AGAIN?

HAPPENING TONIGHT: East Palestine residents are livid as the CEO of Norfolk Southern was supposed to speak to them and address their concerns at a town hall tonight and he didn’t show up.

LONG LINES JUST TO HEAR NORFOLK SOUTHERN ADDRESS.. Only to go and they don't show..

Meanwhile..

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro puts pressure on Norkfolk Southern..

x x x

CHARLES HAVE BEEN DISMISSED AGAINST THE REPORTER WHO WAS ARRESTED AT A TRAIN DERAILMENT PRESS BRIEFING..

[tenth-sentence]

I dressed hurriedly, for I knew by experience that railway cases were seldom trivial, and hastened downstairs.

"The Illustrated Sherlock Holmes Treasury" - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

[townpostin]

Freight Train Accident Damages Foot Over Bridge at Sonua Station

Operations on main lines disrupted as damaged foot over bridge is removed. A freight train with an open door collided with a foot over bridge pillar, causing damage at Sonua station. JAMSHEDPUR – In a significant incident, a freight train passing through Sonua station in the Chakradharpur Railway Division caused substantial damage to a foot over bridge after its open door struck the bridge…