| Sutton Coldfield train crash | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 23 January 1955 16:13 |
| Location | Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire |
| Coordinates | 52°33′55″N01°49′28″W / 52.56528°N 1.82444°W |
| Country | England |
| Line | Cross-City Line (present name) |
| Cause | Overspeed on curve |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Passengers | 300 |
| Deaths | 17 |
| Injured | 25 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
The Sutton Coldfield train crash took place at about 16:13 on 23 January 1955 in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire (now within Birmingham), when an express passenger train traveling from York to Bristol, derailed due to excessive speed on a sharp curve.
Headed by a LMS Black Five steam locomotive No 45274, the 12:15 York to Bristol express, consisting of ten carriages, approached Sutton Coldfield railway station at about 55-60 mph (88-96 km/h) — twice the permitted speed of 30 mph. When it reached the sharp curve immediately before the station, the train derailed, colliding with the platforms.
The carriages, engine, and station buildings were severely damaged. The first carriage was crushed between the engine and the second carriage. The fourth carriage was knocked into the air causing it to drag along the station roof, damaging both the roof and the platforms to either side. Seventeen people, including the train crew, were killed and 25 injured.
The train had been diverted away from its usual route into Birmingham via Tamworth because of engineering work. The regular driver did not know the diversionary route via Sutton Coldfield, so another driver, fully conversant with it, had joined him at Burton-on-Trent to 'conduct' him over this section. However, the regular driver, complaining that the rough riding of the engine was tiring him, left the footplate and took a seat in the train, leaving the temporary driver in charge. This action was later criticised by the Inspecting Officer who commented that, even though he did not know the route, the safety of the train was still his responsibility.
The number of casualties was prevented from rising as a result of the actions of two local people who rushed up the railway line to stop a train heading towards the crash site. Two railway employees also raised the alarm to other stations, changed the signals to danger and placed detonators on the tracks to warn oncoming trains. One of the two had been injured and shocked by the accident, and both were rewarded with gold watches for their work.
The scene was attended to by a mobile surgical unit from Birmingham Accident Hospital as well as 40 additional ambulances from surrounding districts. Royal Air Force servicemen from Whitehouse Common provided aid to the emergency services.
Although the excessive speed was the major factor in the accident, the exact cause was never fully established. The accident occurred in broad daylight and the driver knew the line well. There was no evidence of mechanical failure on the train. The driver and fireman died in the locomotive, so the reason for the excessive speed was never established. Investigators identified several factors that could have contributed to the excessive speed:
Following this accident, lineside speed restriction signs were universally adopted; previously there had been no visual reminder to the driver of speed restrictions on many routes. The Inspector also suggested the use of speed recorders, as in France, but this was not adopted.
On 23 January 2016, the 61st anniversary of the crash, a memorial to the victims was unveiled, at Sutton Coldfield station, by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Ray Hassall. [1]
Salisbury rail crash - 1906 - Overspeed through sharp curve through station. 28 killed. Morpeth rail crashes - 1969 etc. - Overspeed through sharp curve.
Waterfall rail accident - 2003 - overspeed through sharp curve - 7 killed
Amagasaki rail crash - 2005 - Overspeed through sharp curve. 107 killed, 562 injured
Santiago de Compostela rail disaster - 2013 - Overspeed through sharp curve - 79 killed, 139 injured.
In rail transport, a derailment occurs when a rail vehicle such as a train comes off its rails. Although many derailments are minor, all result in temporary disruption of the proper operation of the railway system and they are a potentially serious hazard.
The town of Morpeth in Northumberland, England, has what is reputed to be the tightest curve of any main railway line in Britain. The track turns approximately 98° from a northwesterly to an easterly direction immediately west of Morpeth Station on an otherwise fast section of the East Coast Main Line railway. This was a major factor in three serious derailments between 1969 and 1994. The curve has a permanent speed restriction of 50 miles per hour (80 km/h).
The Amagasaki derailment occurred in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, on 25 April 2005 at 09:19 local time, just after the local rush hour. It occurred when a seven-car commuter train came off the tracks on West Japan Railway Company's Fukuchiyama Line in just before Amagasaki on its way for Dōshisha-mae via the JR Tōzai Line and the Gakkentoshi Line, and the front two cars rammed into an apartment building. The first car slid into the first-floor parking garage and as a result took days to remove, while the second slammed into the corner of the building, being crushed into an L-shaped against it by the weight of the remaining cars. Of the roughly 700 passengers on board at the time of the crash, 106 passengers, in addition to the driver, were killed and 562 others injured. Most survivors and witnesses claimed that the train appeared to have been travelling too fast. The incident was Japan's most serious since the 1963 Tsurumi rail accident.
The Salisbury rail crash occurred on 1 July 1906, when a boat train from Plymouth to London failed to negotiate a sharp bend at more than twice the speed limit, and crashed into another train, killing 28 people. It is believed that the driver was trying to demonstrate the speed of the service, in competition with a rival railway company.
The Camp Mountain rail accident occurred at approximately 9:48 am on 5 May 1947 when a crowded picnic train derailed on a sharp left-hand curve between Ferny Grove and Camp Mountain stations on the now-closed Dayboro railway line, approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) northwest of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia.
The Bourne End rail crash occurred on 30 September 1945 when a sleeper train from Perth to London Euston derailed, killing 43. The cause was driver error, possibly compounded by ambiguous signalling regulations.
The Lincoln rail crash occurred on 3 June 1962, when the 22:15 sleeping car express train from King's Cross to Edinburgh derailed on a sharp curve at Lincoln Central railway station. Two passengers and a sleeping car attendant were killed and seven people were seriously injured.
The railways of New South Wales, Australia have had many incidents and accidents since their formation in 1831. There are close to 1000 names associated with rail-related deaths in NSW on the walls of the Australian Railway Monument in Werris Creek. Those killed were all employees of various NSW railways. The details below include deaths of employees and the general public.
The Shrewsbury rail accident occurred on 15 October 1907. An overnight sleeping-car and mail train from Manchester to the West of England derailed on the sharply curved approach to Shrewsbury station, killing 18 people and injuring 33. The accident was concluded to be due to excessive speed on a dangerous curve.
The Jokela rail accident occurred on 21 April 1996, at 07:08 local time in Tuusula, Finland, approximately 50 kilometres (30 mi) north of Helsinki. Four people were killed and 75 were injured when express train P82 from Oulu, bound for Helsinki, derailed in heavy fog. The overnight sleeper train was carrying 139 passengers and five crew members. The official investigation into the accident revealed that it was caused by overspeeding through a slow-speed turnout.
On 6 February 2000, a train at the Brühl railway station on the West Rhine Railway negotiated a low speed turnout at three times the correct speed and derailed, killing 9 people.
The Milton rail crash was a crash in 1955, at Milton, Berkshire. A passenger train took a crossover too fast and derailed. Eleven were killed, and 157 were injured.
This is a list of significant railway accidents in Queensland, Australia.
The Santiago de Compostela derailment occurred on 24 July 2013, when an Alvia high-speed train traveling from Madrid to Ferrol, in the north-west of Spain, derailed at high speed on a bend about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) outside of the railway station at Santiago de Compostela. Of the 178 people injured, the provisional number of deaths in hospital had reached 79 by the following 28 July.
Railway accidents in 1955 | |
|---|---|
| Location and date |
|
| 1900s |
|
|---|---|
| 1910s |
|
| 1920s |
|
| 1930s |
|
| 1940s |
|
| 1950s |
|
| 1960s |
|
| 1970s |
|
| 1980s |
|
| 1990s |
|
‡ indicates railway accidents and incidents resulting in at least 20 fatalities § indicates the deadliest railway accident in British history 1815–1899   2000–present | |