John Axon | |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 December 1900 |
| Died | 9 February 1957 (aged 56) |
| Occupation | Train driver |
John Axon GC (4 December 1900 – 9 February 1957) [1] was an English train driver from Stockport (Edgeley Depot) who died while trying to stop a runaway freight train on a 1 in 58 gradient at Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire after a brake failure. The train consisted of an ex-LMS Stanier Class 8F 2-8-0 No. 48188 hauling 33 wagons and a brake van.
John Axon was born on 4 December 1900 in Stockport, Cheshire. On leaving school he became an apprentice painter and decorator. In 1919 he joined the London and North Western Railway as a cleaner, later becoming a fireman. From 1921 he was an engine driver, serving with the London, Midland and Scottish Railway from 1923, and British Railways after 1948. [2]
On the outward trip from Stockport to Buxton on 9 February 1957, Driver Axon had noticed a leak from the supply to the locomotive steam brake and had requested and received fitter's attention at the Buxton depot. On the return trip from Buxton to Stockport, the repair did not hold and the brake pipe fractured, disabling the locomotive steam brake and filling the cab with scalding steam, making it very difficult and painful for Axon and the fireman, Ron Scanlon, to reach the controls. Despite this, Axon and Scanlon managed to partly close the regulator and screw down the engine's tender brakes to negligible effect. The inability to use the locomotive's whistle meant that the crew of the banking engine at the rear of Axon's train remained unaware of the problems at the front and kept pushing the train towards Dove Holes summit. [3] [4] [5]
Axon told Scanlon to jump off and attempt to apply the wagon brakes of the loose-coupled train. Due to the speed the train was travelling, Scanlon only managed to apply a few before the train reached the summit and began accelerating down the 1-in-58 gradient towards Chapel-en-le-Frith. As the crew of the banking engine reached the summit to let the train continue under its own power, they were alarmed to see the train accelerating away from them, and the guard frantically applying the brakes to his van. [5] [6]
At the time of the locomotive failure, Axon could have jumped clear of the then slow-moving train. However, aware of the danger that his train posed to life further down the line, he stayed at his post despite the scalding steam on the footplate.
Axon waved a warning to the signalman at Dove Holes, who opted to reverse the loop points despite the fact that the down main was still occupied by the Rowsley goods train. Knowing that the runaway train would derail on the trap siding, hitting Dove Holes signal box and station in the process, the signalman had the hope that Axon could regain control of his engine on the main line. [6] He immediately telephoned to the Chapel-en-le-Frith signalman, who was in the process of clearing the Rowsley-to-Stockport freight service. He ordered the passengers of a stationary DMU to be moved to safety, but had no time to warn the crew of the passing goods to accelerate. [3] The runaway smashed into the rear of it, killing John Axon and John Creamer, the other freight train's guard. [7] The signalman barely escaped as the 8F's tender sideswiped his box, destroying it.
Axon was posthumously awarded the George Cross on 7 May 1957, [4] [8] [9] which was donated to the National Railway Museum in York in 1978. [2] He was also awarded the Order of Industrial Heroism by the Daily Herald . [10] [11]
He was the subject of a 1957 radio ballad (The Ballad of John Axon), the first of the series, written by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger and produced by Charles Parker. A CD released in June 2008, 'Primary Transmission' by the artist Broadcaster on Red Grape Records, included the song 'Johnny' which is based on samples from the Ballad of John Axon and set to new music. [3] On 19 February 1981, a British Rail Class 86 electric locomotive number 86261 was named Driver John Axon, GC at a ceremony at Euston Station, London. [2]
In February 2007, a DMU Class 150 train (150273) was named 'Driver John Axon, GC' at Buxton. [2] This name has now passed onto a Class 156 DMU, 156460. A plaque commemorating the events was unveiled, to be mounted at Chapel-en-le Frith station. The plaque is now mounted on the station buildings at Chapel-en-le-Frith facing onto the southbound platform.
On 17 September 1930 he married Gladys Richardson at St Matthew's Church, Stretford. They lived in Edgeley, Stockport and had two sons. [2] His grandson, also named John Axon (1960 – 2008), was a television actor best known for his role as Nigel Harper in The Royal ; he also played roles in series such as Life on Mars , City Central and Peak Practice . [9]
The vacuum brake is a braking system employed on trains and introduced in the mid-1860s. A variant, the automatic vacuum brake system, became almost universal in British train equipment and in countries influenced by British practice. Vacuum brakes also enjoyed a brief period of adoption in the United States, primarily on narrow-gauge railroads. Their limitations caused them to be progressively superseded by compressed air systems starting in the United Kingdom from the 1970s onward. The vacuum brake system is now obsolete; it is not in large-scale usage anywhere in the world, other than in South Africa, largely supplanted by air brakes.
Edgeley is a suburb of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England.
Peak Rail is a preserved railway in Derbyshire, England, which operates a steam and heritage diesel service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales.
Chinley is a rural village in the High Peak Borough of Derbyshire, England, with a population of 2,796 at the 2011 Census. Most of the civil parish is within the Peak District National Park. Historically, before the coming of the railway, the area was economically dominated by agriculture. Nowadays most inhabitants commute out of the village to work; accessible centres of work include Stockport, Sheffield and Manchester.
A railway brake is a type of brake used on the cars of railway trains to enable deceleration, control acceleration (downhill) or to keep them immobile when parked. While the basic principle is similar to that on road vehicle usage, operational features are more complex because of the need to control multiple linked carriages and to be effective on vehicles left without a prime mover. Clasp brakes are one type of brakes historically used on trains.
A bank engine, banking engine, helper engine or pusher engine is a railway locomotive that temporarily assists a train that requires additional power or traction to climb a gradient. Helpers/bankers are most commonly found in mountain divisions, where the ruling grade may demand the use of substantially greater motive power than that required for other grades within the division.
The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway ran from a junction with the Midland Railway at Ambergate to Rowsley north of Matlock and thence to Buxton.
Buxton railway station serves the Peak District town of Buxton in Derbyshire, England. It is managed and served by Northern Trains. The station is 25+3⁄4 miles (41.4 km) south-east of Manchester Piccadilly and is the terminus of the Buxton line.
Dove Holes railway station serves the village of Dove Holes, Derbyshire, England. The station is on the Buxton line between Manchester Piccadilly and Buxton; it is situated 22+3⁄4 miles (36.6 km) south-east of Piccadilly. It is managed and served by Northern Trains.
Chapel-en-le-Frith railway station serves the Peak District town of Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbyshire, England. It is 20+1⁄2 miles south east of Manchester Piccadilly on the Buxton Line from Manchester. It was built in 1863 for the London & North Western Railway, on its line from Whaley Bridge to Buxton as an extension of the Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway.
Dove Holes Tunnel is a tunnel built by the Midland Railway between Peak Forest Signal Box and Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire in 1860–64, now carrying the Great Rocks Line.
The Buxton line is a railway line in Northern England, connecting Manchester with Buxton in Derbyshire. Passenger services on the line are currently operated by Northern Trains.
The Ais Gill rail accident occurred on the Settle–Carlisle line in Northwest England on 2 September 1913. Two long trains were both ascending a steep gradient with some difficulty, because their engines generated barely enough power to carry the load. When the first train stopped to build up steam pressure, the driver and fireman of the second train were distracted by maintenance routines, and failed to observe the warning signals. The collision wrecked several carriages, which were then engulfed by flammable gas, killing 16 people and injuring 38.
Wallace Arnold Oakes GC, known as Wally Oakes, was an engine driver with British Railways who was born in Barbridge, Cheshire and lived at Wheelock Heath, Sandbach, Cheshire.
Northenden railway station in Sharston, Manchester, England, was built by the Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway (ST&AJ) and opened for passenger and goods traffic on 1 February 1866.
John Axon was an English television and stage actor. Axon trained at the Guildhall school of music and drama after briefly training as a graphic designer. He had a small part in Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights series 1 episode 3. He was perhaps best known for his role as the hospital administrator, Nigel Harper, on the ITV1 television series The Royal. Axon played Harper as a recurring role on the show from 2003 until 2005. Other television credits include Prime Suspect, City Central, Lilies and Monsignor Renard.
The Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway was an early railway company in England which was opened in 1857 between Stockport Edgeley and Whaley Bridge.
The Slough rail accident happened on 16 June 1900 at Slough railway station on the Great Western Main Line when an express train from London Paddington to Falmouth Docks ran through two sets of signals at danger, and collided with a local train heading for Windsor & Eton Central. Five passengers were killed; 35 were seriously injured, and 90 complained of shock or minor injuries
Rowsley railway station was opened in 1849 by the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway to serve the village of Rowsley in Derbyshire, England. It was resited in 1862.
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‡ indicates railway accidents and incidents resulting in at least 20 fatalities § indicates the deadliest railway accident in British history 1815–1899   2000–present | |