The Ratho Rail crash occurred on 3 January 1917 and killed 12 people. It occurred near Ratho Station

Ratho Station

Ratho Station is a suburb of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.It is located south of Edinburgh Airport; the community has a population of approximately 600...

 in Scotland when an express collided with a light engine in stormy weather.

Just west of the station lay Queensferry Junction where the line from Dalmeny

Dalmeny

Dalmeny is a suburban village and civil parish in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located on the south side of the Firth of Forth, east-southeast of South Queensferry and west-northwest of central Edinburgh; it falls under the local governance of the City of Edinburgh Council.The name Dalmeny is...

 via Kirkliston

Kirkliston

Kirkliston is a village and civil parish within the City of Edinburgh in Scotland. It sits on the historic route between Edinburgh and Queensferry, the gateway to Fife and the north. Today, it is bypassed by the A90...

 (now lifted) joined from the north. A train from Dalmeny came to a stand opposite the junction signalbox. The signalman had intended to keep it there until the 16:18 express from Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

 to Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

 had passed. However he did not inform the driver and there was no fixed signal to hold him, instead a system of hand-signals was in use. The engine uncoupled and began to move towards the main line without his instructions. He put the main line signals to danger and blew his whistle but was unable to attract the drivers attention in the stormy conditions. The express was heavily laden with people returning from their New Year's holiday including many soldiers. It collided with the light engine at a speed of 30 mph, telescoping

Telescoping (railway)

In a railway accident, telescoping occurs when the underframe of one vehicle overrides that of another, and smashes through the second vehicle's body...

 the first coach and derailing the second; killing 12 and seriouly injuring 46 more.

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...

 enquiry led by Colonel J. W. Pringle

John Wallace Pringle

Colonel Sir John Wallace Pringle was Chief Inspecting Officer of the Railways Inspectorate of the Ministry of Transport from 1916 to 1929...

 found that the unsafe use of hand-signals to control access to passenger lines was the cause of the disaster.

Sources

• The Times
  The Times
  The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
  
  1917 :
  • January 4 page 5 "Holiday Train Wreck : Eleven Persons Killed in Scotland"
  • January 5 page 5 "Scottish Train Wreck : Rescue Work by Soldiers"
  • January 11 page 3 "Hand signalling : Board of Trade Inspectors Criticisms"