Hatfield rail crash (1870)
Encyclopedia
On a frosty Boxing day in 1870 the driver of the 16:25 from London King's Cross to Peterborough
noticed an 'uneasy oscillation' as he passed over Marshmoor level crossing, 2 miles south of Hatfield station
. He peered back and discovered he had lost his train and pulled up. He reversed back, preceded by his fireman on foot showing a red light. They were met by the white-faced guard who told them there had been a disaster. The driver reversed direction again and sped to Hatfield to warn oncoming traffic and summon help.
It transpired that as the train approached the crossing the left hand leading wheel of the van at the front of the train had disintegrated and the coupling between the van and the locomotive had parted and the van and two following coaches had run off the rails onto the roadway demolishing a wall, and the crossing gates and posts and killing the mother and sister of a signalman who were waiting at the crossing. In addition six passengers in the two coaches were killed.
The accident inspector criticized the method of tyre fixing and recommended, not for the first time the use of Mansell composite wheel
s on passenger rolling stock.
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
noticed an 'uneasy oscillation' as he passed over Marshmoor level crossing, 2 miles south of Hatfield station
Hatfield railway station
Hatfield railway station serves the town of Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England. The station is managed by First Capital Connect.It is located approximately north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line.- History :...
. He peered back and discovered he had lost his train and pulled up. He reversed back, preceded by his fireman on foot showing a red light. They were met by the white-faced guard who told them there had been a disaster. The driver reversed direction again and sped to Hatfield to warn oncoming traffic and summon help.
It transpired that as the train approached the crossing the left hand leading wheel of the van at the front of the train had disintegrated and the coupling between the van and the locomotive had parted and the van and two following coaches had run off the rails onto the roadway demolishing a wall, and the crossing gates and posts and killing the mother and sister of a signalman who were waiting at the crossing. In addition six passengers in the two coaches were killed.
The accident inspector criticized the method of tyre fixing and recommended, not for the first time the use of Mansell composite wheel
Mansell Wheel
The Mansell Wheel is a railway wheel patented by Richard Mansell, the Carriage and Wagon superintendent of the South Eastern Railway in the UK.Dendy Marshall, C.F., History of the Southern Railway, Ian Allan 1963, ISBN 0 7110 0059 X The design was created in the 1840s and was eventually widely used...
s on passenger rolling stock.