.gif)
Norton Fitzwarren rail crash (1940)
Encyclopedia
The Norton Fitzwarren rail crash occurred on 4 November 1940 between Taunton
and Norton Fitzwarren
in the English
county of Somerset
, when the driver of a train misunderstood the signalling and track layout, causing him to drive the train through a set of points and off the rails. 27 people were killed. The locomotive involved was GWR
King Class
King George VI which was subsequently repaired and returned to service. A previous significant accident
occurred here on 10 November 1890 and the Taunton train fire
of 1978 was also within 2 miles.
_diagram.svg.png)
The crash occurred at a point on the railway where four tracks were reduced to two. On the four-track section, the up and down fast lines were in the centre between the up and down slow lines. Instead of the usual practice of locating all signals
on the left-hand side of their respective tracks, the fast-line signals were between the two fast lines, thus on the right.
The driver of the train left Taunton station
observing the indications of the right-hand signals (all green, indicating "proceed" for the down fast line), not realizing his train was travelling on the down slow (left-hand) track. Wartime blackout conditions at night contributed to this misapprehension. The driver only realised his mistake when another train overtook him, by which time it was too late to stop before the track ended. As trap points were in place, the train was derailed rather than running onto the fast line and colliding with the other train.
Also, the signalman at Taunton
had changed the route of the crashed train from the Down Fast to the Down Slow, which the driver had not noticed.
The signals had been badly placed as an economy measure. If at least one pair of signals had been placed as usual – requiring a gantry or a bracket – then the driver of the train would have been more likely to recognise which track he was on and which signals related to it. It would not have helped that Great Western locomotives had the driver on the right-hand side, when his signals were generally on the left-hand side.
The extra space between the Fast lines was a hangover from the wide track centres of Brunel's broad gauge.
The signals at Norton Fitzwarren railway station
were fitted with the GWR
Automatic Train Control (ATC) which alerted the driver, in the cab, audibly that the approaching distant signal is at "caution". A warning signal has to be acknowledged or the brakes are applied. Unfortunately, drivers can be so used to cancelling the warning, that they may do this subconsciously. This would especially happen if the driver is reading the wrong green signal. There is no reason to believe that the ATC equipment was not working properly.
under the "Stop and Examine
" rule to check what might be the problem. Finding nothing, the overtaking train proceeded on its way with a small delay, the guard only later learning of the accident.
The house of the crashed train's driver had been bombed the previous night. He had gone to work as usual.
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
and Norton Fitzwarren
Norton Fitzwarren
Norton Fitzwarren is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 2,325.-History:...
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 Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, when the driver of a train misunderstood the signalling and track layout, causing him to drive the train through a set of points and off the rails. 27 people were killed. The locomotive involved was GWR
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
King Class
GWR 6000 Class
The Great Western Railway 6000 Class or King is a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed for express passenger work. With the exception of one Pacific , they were the largest locomotives the GWR built. They were named after kings of the United Kingdom and of England, beginning with the reigning...
King George VI which was subsequently repaired and returned to service. A previous significant accident
Norton Fitzwarren rail crash (1890)
The Norton Fitzwarren rail crash occurred on 11 November 1890, at Norton Fitzwarren station on the Great Western Railway, approximately two miles south-west of Taunton in Somerset. A special boat train carrying passengers from Plymouth to Paddington collided with a goods train that was being...
occurred here on 10 November 1890 and the Taunton train fire
Taunton train fire
The Taunton sleeping car fire occurred in a sleeping car train at Taunton, England in the early hours of 6 July 1978. It killed 12 people and had far-reaching effects for British Rail.- Background :The vehicle involved was no...
of 1978 was also within 2 miles.
Overview
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...
on the left-hand side of their respective tracks, the fast-line signals were between the two fast lines, thus on the right.
The driver of the train left Taunton station
Taunton railway station
Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, from London Paddington station. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, England and is operated by First Great Western...
observing the indications of the right-hand signals (all green, indicating "proceed" for the down fast line), not realizing his train was travelling on the down slow (left-hand) track. Wartime blackout conditions at night contributed to this misapprehension. The driver only realised his mistake when another train overtook him, by which time it was too late to stop before the track ended. As trap points were in place, the train was derailed rather than running onto the fast line and colliding with the other train.
Also, the signalman at Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
had changed the route of the crashed train from the Down Fast to the Down Slow, which the driver had not noticed.
The signals had been badly placed as an economy measure. If at least one pair of signals had been placed as usual – requiring a gantry or a bracket – then the driver of the train would have been more likely to recognise which track he was on and which signals related to it. It would not have helped that Great Western locomotives had the driver on the right-hand side, when his signals were generally on the left-hand side.
The extra space between the Fast lines was a hangover from the wide track centres of Brunel's broad gauge.
The signals at Norton Fitzwarren railway station
Norton Fitzwarren railway station
Norton Fitzwarren railway station is an untimetabled station on the West Somerset Railway in Somerset, England. It was built in 2009 about north of the site of the old station that served the village of Norton Fitzwarren from 1873 until 1961...
were fitted with the GWR
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
Automatic Train Control (ATC) which alerted the driver, in the cab, audibly that the approaching distant signal is at "caution". A warning signal has to be acknowledged or the brakes are applied. Unfortunately, drivers can be so used to cancelling the warning, that they may do this subconsciously. This would especially happen if the driver is reading the wrong green signal. There is no reason to believe that the ATC equipment was not working properly.
Stop and Proceed
The guard of the overtaking train was alarmed by strange noises, which later turned out to be ballast thrown up by the derailed train. He applied his own brakesPulled tail
Pulled tail is the act of a guard or conductor of a railway to apply the emergency brakes where something untoward has been noticed. This could be an excess of speed in a section of line known to have a lower speed, or strange noises and shaking that might indicate that the train has derailed or...
under the "Stop and Examine
Stop and examine
The Stop and Examine rule was a United Kingdom Rulebook rule which applied on the former British Railways. It required the traincrew to stop a train and investigate the cause if they became aware of any unusual conditions which might endanger the safety of the train .The Stop and Examine rule was...
" rule to check what might be the problem. Finding nothing, the overtaking train proceeded on its way with a small delay, the guard only later learning of the accident.
The house of the crashed train's driver had been bombed the previous night. He had gone to work as usual.