Cowden rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Cowden rail crash occurred on 15 October 1994, around 350 metres southeast of Cowden Station
in the English
county of Kent
. There was a head-on collision
between two trains in heavy fog after the driver of a northbound train ran past a red signal
and entered a single line
section.
Five people were killed and thirteen were injured. The guard of the northbound train, Jonathan Brett-Andrews, had ambitions to become a driver and was in the driver's cab at the time of the collision; this was in defiance of the regulations. It is thought that his presence may have contributed to the accident and there were even suspicions that he might have been at the controls; he had been reprimanded twice before for driving trains when he should not have. However, this will never be known as he and both drivers were killed in the collision and the front ends of both trains were so badly damaged that it was not possible to ascertain the exact positions of the crew in the northbound train at the point of impact. Two passengers, a couple travelling in the leading coach of the northbound train, were also killed.
There were several other contributory factors; it was conjectured that the AWS
may have been inoperative (though the official report considers this unlikely), the signal was dirty and the light intensity was low, and there were no trap points to prevent a train wrongly entering a section against the signal. However the official report placed the blame on the driver, Brian Barton, of the northbound train.
It was noted that the Oxted signalman, who was aware of the situation, had no direct means of alerting either driver to the danger. He apparently attempted to contact the down driver on the signal telephone (the up driver having passed the protecting signal - as noted at danger), but to no avail (presumably the driver never heard it above the noise of the engine immediately behind him). The signalman did alert the emergency services to the collision - while the trains were still one and a half kilometres apart. As a result of the inquiry, secure in-cab radio became standard equipment fit.
The accident was exacerbated by the age and design of the multiple units involved. The separate-chassis construction of the elderly British Rail Class 205
stock, based on the BR Mk 1 design, led to overriding of one carriage by the next. The weight of the diesel engines above the frames of the coach probably did not help. These trains, unpopular with users of the line because of their antiquated nature, were replaced in 2004 by Turbostars
.
A plaque on the station buildings at Cowden commemorates the accident.
Cowden railway station
Cowden railway station serves Cowden in Kent, in England. Train services from the station are provided by Southern, and the station is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted Line.The station was destaffed in the 1970s...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. There was a head-on collision
Head-on collision
A head-on collision is one where the front ends of two ships, trains, planes or vehicles hit each other, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision.-Rail transport:...
between two trains in heavy fog after the driver of a northbound train ran past a red signal
Railway signal
A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train/engine drivers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...
and entered a single line
Single track (rail)
A single track railway is where trains in both directions share the same track. Single track is normally used on lesser used rail lines, often branch lines, where the traffic density is not high enough to justify the cost of building double tracks....
section.
Five people were killed and thirteen were injured. The guard of the northbound train, Jonathan Brett-Andrews, had ambitions to become a driver and was in the driver's cab at the time of the collision; this was in defiance of the regulations. It is thought that his presence may have contributed to the accident and there were even suspicions that he might have been at the controls; he had been reprimanded twice before for driving trains when he should not have. However, this will never be known as he and both drivers were killed in the collision and the front ends of both trains were so badly damaged that it was not possible to ascertain the exact positions of the crew in the northbound train at the point of impact. Two passengers, a couple travelling in the leading coach of the northbound train, were also killed.
There were several other contributory factors; it was conjectured that the AWS
Automatic Warning System
The Automatic Warning System is a form of limited cab signalling and train protection system introduced in 1956 in the United Kingdom to help train drivers observe and obey signals. It was based on a 1930 system developed by Alfred Ernest Hudd and marketed as the "Strowger-Hudd" system...
may have been inoperative (though the official report considers this unlikely), the signal was dirty and the light intensity was low, and there were no trap points to prevent a train wrongly entering a section against the signal. However the official report placed the blame on the driver, Brian Barton, of the northbound train.
It was noted that the Oxted signalman, who was aware of the situation, had no direct means of alerting either driver to the danger. He apparently attempted to contact the down driver on the signal telephone (the up driver having passed the protecting signal - as noted at danger), but to no avail (presumably the driver never heard it above the noise of the engine immediately behind him). The signalman did alert the emergency services to the collision - while the trains were still one and a half kilometres apart. As a result of the inquiry, secure in-cab radio became standard equipment fit.
The accident was exacerbated by the age and design of the multiple units involved. The separate-chassis construction of the elderly British Rail Class 205
British Rail Class 205
The British Rail Class 205 diesel-electric multiple units were built by BR at Eastleigh from 1957–1962. They were replaced by Turbostar units.-Description:This class of unit were built in four different batches for use on different lines....
stock, based on the BR Mk 1 design, led to overriding of one carriage by the next. The weight of the diesel engines above the frames of the coach probably did not help. These trains, unpopular with users of the line because of their antiquated nature, were replaced in 2004 by Turbostars
British Rail Class 171
The Class 171 Turbostar is a type of diesel multiple unit built by Bombardier Transportation at their Litchurch Lane Works in Derby, England which is identical to the Class 170, except for the replacement of the BSI coupler with a Dellner coupler...
.
A plaque on the station buildings at Cowden commemorates the accident.