Warrington rail crash

Last updated

Warrington rail crash
Details
Date29 June 1867
11:35
LocationWalton Junction, near Warrington Bank Quay railway station
Coordinates 53°21′41″N2°37′31″W / 53.3615°N 2.6253°W / 53.3615; -2.6253
CountryEngland
Line London and North Western Railway
CausePoints incorrectly set
Statistics
Trains2
Passengers300
Deaths8
Injured33
List of UK rail accidents by year

The Warrington rail crash occurred at Walton Junction just south of the town of Warrington in Lancashire on 29 June 1867. The collision involved a passenger train running into the back of a coal train. Eight people were killed and 33 injured. The accident resulted in changes being made to the management of points and signals.

Contents

Location

A Railway Clearing House Junction Diagram showing the layout of Walton Junction in 1901 Acton Grange, Walton & Warrington RJD 147.jpg
A Railway Clearing House Junction Diagram showing the layout of Walton Junction in 1901

In 1867 Walton Junction was located about 1 mi (1.6 km) south of Warrington Bank Quay station just beyond Walton Bridge over the River Mersey. The junction was where the Birkenhead Railway mainline diverged from the London & North Western Railway (LNWR). [1]

However, in less than 30 years after the accident the junction was made obsolete with the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal. In the 1890s a single four-track bridge was built to carry the lines of both the LNWR and the Birkenhead Junction Railway (co-owned by the LNWR and Great Western Railway) over the waterway. The Birkenhead Railway lines were consolidated into the LNWR to avoid the unnecessary cost of building separate bridges.

As the new tracks ran to the north of the original Chester to Birkenhead mainline on which the accident happened, the old Walton Junction ceased to have through trains and became part of a branch to a marshalling yard.

Accident

The 10:23 Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston service, which was running 10 minutes late, left Warrington Bank Quay station at 11:35 for Crewe. On approach to Walton Junction, the driver saw that a coal train ahead was being shunted onto the Chester line, but did not reduce speed because he thought that the line would be clear. However, the points were not switched back to the Crewe line, causing the London-bound passenger service to plough into the rear of the coal train. Five people were killed at the scene. Three others died later of their injuries. A further 33 were injured.

The coroner gave the following verdict: "We are unanimously of opinion that the deceased came to their deaths by neglect of duty on the part of John Rowson, pointsman, and at the same time we wish to recommend to the railway company the adoption of a new system of signalling and points at Walton Junction." Rowson was later charged with manslaughter in July 1867.

Legacy

The Board of Trade enquiry recommended that the British railway network should adopt a system whereby points were interlocked with signals. [2] This ensures that a train can only be signalled into a section when the correct route has been set for it.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London and North Western Railway</span> Former British railway company

The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the LNWR was the largest joint stock company in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crewe railway station</span> Railway station in Cheshire, England

Crewe railway station serves the railway town of Crewe, in Cheshire, England. It opened in 1837 and is one of the most historically significant railway stations in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway</span> Former British railway company

The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) was formed in 1847 when the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway joined with authorised but unbuilt railway companies, forming a proposed network from Manchester to Grimsby. It pursued a policy of expanding its area of influence, especially in reaching west to Liverpool, which it ultimately did through the medium of the Cheshire Lines Committee network in joint partnership with the Great Northern Railway and the Midland Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrexham, Mold and Connah's Quay Railway</span>

The Buckley Railway was opened from Buckley to a connection with the Chester to Holyhead main line on 7 June 1862, to convey coal and finished brickworks products from the Buckley area. Numerous short tramroads had existed in the area from the 1700s. The line was steeply graded and sharply curved.

The Warrington and Newton Railway was a short early railway linking Warrington to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway at Newton, and to pits at Haydock, nearby. It opened in 1831.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrewsbury railway station</span> Grade II listed railway station in Shropshire, England

Shrewsbury railway station serves the town of Shrewsbury, in Shropshire, England. Built in 1848, it was designated a grade II listed building in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway</span> Railway in England

The Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway was authorised in 1846. It agreed to joint construction with others of the costly Wolverhampton to Birmingham section, the so-called Stour Valley Line. This work was dominated by the hostile London and North Western Railway, which used underhand and coercive tactics. The section between Shrewsbury and Wellington was also built jointly, in this case with the Shropshire Union Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester railway station</span> Railway station in Cheshire, England

Chester railway station is located in Newtown, Chester, England. Services are operated by Avanti West Coast, Merseyrail, Northern and Transport for Wales. From 1875 to 1969, the station was known as Chester General to distinguish it from Chester Northgate. The station's Italianate frontage was designed by the architect Francis Thompson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhyl railway station</span> Railway station in Denbighshire, North Wales

Rhyl railway station is on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line and serves the holiday resort of Rhyl, Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrexham General railway station</span> Railway station in Wrexham, Wales

Wrexham General is the main railway station serving the city of Wrexham, north-east Wales, and one of the two serving the city, alongside Wrexham Central. It is currently operated and mostly served by Transport for Wales, with some additional services provided by Avanti West Coast to London Euston.

The Chester and Holyhead Railway was an early railway company conceived to improve transmission of Government dispatches between London and Ireland, as well as ordinary railway objectives. Its construction was hugely expensive, chiefly due to the cost of building the Britannia Tubular Bridge over the Menai Strait. The company had relied on Government support in facilitating the ferry service, and this proved to be uncertain. The company opened its main line throughout in 1850. It relied on the co-operation of other railways to reach London, and in 1859 it was absorbed by the London and North Western Railway.

The Winwick rail crash took place at Winwick Junction, near Warrington on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, on 28 September 1934. Two trains collided, resulting in 11 deaths and 19 injured.

There are various modes of transport available in Warrington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chester–Warrington line</span>

The Chester–Warrington line is a railway line running between Chester and Warrington Bank Quay in North West England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northenden railway station</span> Former railway station in Greater Manchester, England

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birkenhead Railway</span> Former railway company in the UK

The Birkenhead Railway was a railway company in North West England. It was incorporated as the Birkenhead, Lancashire and Cheshire Junction Railway (BL&CJR) in 1846 to build a line connecting the port of Birkenhead and the city of Chester with the manufacturing districts of Lancashire by making a junction near Warrington with the Grand Junction Railway. The BL&CJR took over the Chester and Birkenhead Railway in 1847, keeping its own name for the combined company until it shortened its name to the Birkenhead Railway in 1859. It was taken over jointly, on 1 January 1860, by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and the Great Western Railway (GWR). It remained a joint railway until nationalisation of the railways in 1948.

The Bangor and Carnarvon Railway was a railway company promoted to build a branch railway connecting Caernarfon with the main line at Bangor, in north-west Wales. It opened in 1852 as far as Port Dinorwic and was extended to Caernarfon later in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shrewsbury and Chester Railway</span> Former railway company

The North Wales Mineral Railway was formed to carry coal and ironstone from the mineral-bearing area around Wrexham to the River Dee wharves. It was extended to run from Shrewsbury and formed part of a main line trunk route, under the title The Shrewsbury and Chester Railway. It opened in 1846 from Chester to Ruabon, and in 1848 from Ruabon to Shrewsbury. It later merged with the Great Western Railway.

The Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway was a railway company which was previously owned by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR), built to connect Crewe with the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway which was jointly owned with GWR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preston Brook railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Preston Brook railway station was a station on the Grand Junction Railway serving the villages of Preston Brook and Preston on the Hill in what was then Cheshire, England. It opened on 4 July 1837 when the line opened.

References

Sources