Norwood Junction rail accident
Encyclopedia
The Norwood Junction railway crash occurred on 1 May 1891, when a cast iron
under-bridge some 60 yards north east of Norwood Junction railway station
fractured under an express train
from Brighton
to London
in southern England
.
The locomotive
crossed the bridge safely with most of its carriages intact, but the brake van
fell into the gap on the bridge. There were no casualties, apart from a dislocated ankle. However, the accident drew attention to the weakness of cast iron structures in under-bridges, especially as many had been installed in the 1830s and 1840s when locomotives were much lighter.
inquiry). He found that the single girder that cracked was seriously flawed with a very large (but hidden) casting defect
in the flange and web. Even if perfect, the girder design did not meet current Board of Trade requirements for safety margins on cast iron girder under-bridges; and this was already known from a previous accident.
In the meanwhile, another cast iron rail bridge girder had fractured under a passing train at Inverythan in Scotland in 1882, with five passengers killed, and many more injured. The accident report on the Inverythan crash had commented on the problem of latent defects, but had concentrated attention in the first instance on composite girders ( bolted together mid-span) and those of over 25 ft span. The Portland Road bridge did not use composite girders, and its span was 25 ft.
General Hutchinson recommended that all cast iron girder bridges on the Southern network be inspected. The task fell to Sir John Fowler, who recommended that many be replaced by wrought iron structures.
The accident led the Board of Trade
to issue a circular requesting details of all cast iron under-bridges on the UK network. There were thousands of them, and most were gradually replaced so as to reassure the travelling public. However, there are still many thousands of cast iron beam over-bridges remaining today, many with very low weight restrictions.
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
under-bridge some 60 yards north east of Norwood Junction railway station
Norwood Junction railway station
Norwood Junction railway station is in South Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon in south London, in Travelcard Zone 4.The station is managed by London Overground and trains operated by Southern and London Overground .-History:...
fractured under an express train
Express train
Express trains are a form of rail service. Express trains make only a small number of stops, instead of stopping at every single station...
from Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in southern England
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...
.
The locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
crossed the bridge safely with most of its carriages intact, but the brake van
Brake van
Brake van and guard's van are terms used mainly in the UK, Australia and India for a railway vehicle equipped with a hand brake which can be applied by the guard...
fell into the gap on the bridge. There were no casualties, apart from a dislocated ankle. However, the accident drew attention to the weakness of cast iron structures in under-bridges, especially as many had been installed in the 1830s and 1840s when locomotives were much lighter.
Causes
The subsequent Board of Trade investigation was carried out by General Hutchinson (who had been involved in the Tay Rail BridgeTay Bridge disaster
The Tay Bridge disaster occurred on 28 December 1879, when the first Tay Rail Bridge, which crossed the Firth of Tay between Dundee and Wormit in Scotland, collapsed during a violent storm while a train was passing over it. The bridge was designed by the noted railway engineer Sir Thomas Bouch,...
inquiry). He found that the single girder that cracked was seriously flawed with a very large (but hidden) casting defect
Casting defect
A casting defect is an irregularity in the metal casting process that is undesired. Some defects can be tolerated while others can be repaired otherwise they must be eliminated...
in the flange and web. Even if perfect, the girder design did not meet current Board of Trade requirements for safety margins on cast iron girder under-bridges; and this was already known from a previous accident.
The attention of the Brighton Company was drawn by the Board of Trade to this deficiency of strength after ... the accident on this bridge in December 1876 when two identical girders at a different part of the same bridge were broken by an engine getting off the rails, and they were then recommended to substitute stronger girders in their place, a recommendation to which unfortunately no attention was paid, or the present serious accident would have been prevented; the Brighton Company is therefore, in my opinion, deserving of much blame for having omitted to substitute stronger girders for the existing ones after attention had been thus specially directed to the weakness of the latter
In the meanwhile, another cast iron rail bridge girder had fractured under a passing train at Inverythan in Scotland in 1882, with five passengers killed, and many more injured. The accident report on the Inverythan crash had commented on the problem of latent defects, but had concentrated attention in the first instance on composite girders ( bolted together mid-span) and those of over 25 ft span. The Portland Road bridge did not use composite girders, and its span was 25 ft.
General Hutchinson recommended that all cast iron girder bridges on the Southern network be inspected. The task fell to Sir John Fowler, who recommended that many be replaced by wrought iron structures.
The accident led the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
to issue a circular requesting details of all cast iron under-bridges on the UK network. There were thousands of them, and most were gradually replaced so as to reassure the travelling public. However, there are still many thousands of cast iron beam over-bridges remaining today, many with very low weight restrictions.