Seer Green rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Seer Green rail crash occurred on the morning of 11 December 1981 near Seer Green
, Buckinghamshire
, England
between two four-car Class 115
units killing one driver and three passengers.
of 1981, the weather
in Southern England turned cold and there were frequent heavy falls of snow
. On the Chiltern Main Line
, the snow caused tree branches in the cutting at Seer Green to be weighed down and some of them were brushed by passing trains.
On 11 December, the driver of an empty train from Marylebone to Princes Risborough
came across a fallen branch lying across the track. He telephoned the signalman
at High Wycombe
to tell him that he was going to clear the obstruction and would be delayed by a few minutes.
Meanwhile at Gerrards Cross
, behind the stationary train, the driver of the 07:31 from Marylebone to Banbury
was being cautioned by the signalman about the overhanging branches. The signalman then attempted to clear the starting signal
for the train to proceed but the lever was locked. Unaware that the empty train had stopped, he looked at his signal box
diagram and thought that the indications showed that the empty train was running towards Beaconsfield
.
Assuming that the signal lever had frozen (when in fact it was electrically locked by the stationary train), he authorised the driver to pass the signal at danger, and the train set off into the still-falling snow. Glancing again at his diagram, he saw that the lights towards Beaconsfield were not in fact lit, and realised that the empty train was still in the section near Seer Green. He quickly went to the window and tried to attract the driver's attention by shouting, but nobody heard him.
The driver of the Banbury train drove too fast for the conditions and ran into the back of the empty train at about 30 mph. The front coach of the Banbury train partly telescoped
underneath the rear coach of the empty train, and the driver and three passengers were killed. Five others were also injured.
, Inspecting Officer Major
C.F. Rose held the signalman at Gerrards Cross chiefly to blame, although he did note that the signalman was newly qualified and had been appointed through a job centre because nobody could be recruited internally. In addition to his inexperience, the signalling between Gerrards Cross and High Wycombe was unusually complex, with several track circuit
block sections and intermediate block
sections. The signal box diagram was subsequently altered to make its indications less ambiguous.
The driver of the Banbury train also shared some responsibility, because he drove too fast to be able to stop short of the stationary train.
Although British Rail
's rules stated that the guard of the empty train should have applied detonator
protection, this would have been unreasonable given that the obstruction would have been cleared in a few minutes.
Seer Green
Seer Green is a village and civil parish in the Chiltern district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the Chiltern Hills, about a mile east of Beaconsfield and a mile south-west of Chalfont St Giles.-History:...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, 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...
between two four-car Class 115
British Rail Class 115
The British Rail Class 115 diesel multiple units were 41 high density sets which operated the outer-suburban services from Marylebone usually to destinations such as High Wycombe, Aylesbury and Banbury which are on the Chiltern Main Line and Great Central Main Line...
units killing one driver and three passengers.
Events
In the winterWinter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in temperate climates, between autumn and spring. At the winter solstice, the days are shortest and the nights are longest, with days lengthening as the season progresses after the solstice.-Meteorology:...
of 1981, the weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
in Southern England turned cold and there were frequent heavy falls of snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
. On the Chiltern Main Line
Chiltern Main Line
The Chiltern Main Line is an inter-urban, regional and commuter railway, part of the British railway system. It links London and Birmingham on a 112-mile route via the towns of High Wycombe, Banbury, and Leamington Spa...
, the snow caused tree branches in the cutting at Seer Green to be weighed down and some of them were brushed by passing trains.
On 11 December, the driver of an empty train from Marylebone to Princes Risborough
Princes Risborough
Princes Risborough is a small town in Buckinghamshire, England, about 9 miles south of Aylesbury and 8 miles north west of High Wycombe. Bledlow lies to the west and Monks Risborough to the east. It lies at the foot of the Chiltern Hills, at the north end of a gap or pass through the Chilterns,...
came across a fallen branch lying across the track. He telephoned the signalman
Signalman (rail)
A signalman or signaller is an employee of a railway transport network who operates the points and signals from a signal box in order to control the movement of trains.- History :...
at High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
to tell him that he was going to clear the obstruction and would be delayed by a few minutes.
Meanwhile at Gerrards Cross
Gerrards Cross
Gerrards Cross is a village in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, near the border with Greater London, south of Chalfont St Peter. Gerrards Cross is also a civil parish within South Bucks district, which was known as the Beaconsfield district from 1974 to 1980...
, behind the stationary train, the driver of the 07:31 from Marylebone to Banbury
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
was being cautioned by the signalman about the overhanging branches. The signalman then attempted to clear the starting signal
Stop signal
In telecommunication, the term stop signal has the following meanings:1. In asynchronous serial communication, a signal at the end of a character that prepares the receiving device for the reception of a subsequent character...
for the train to proceed but the lever was locked. Unaware that the empty train had stopped, he looked at his signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
diagram and thought that the indications showed that the empty train was running towards Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield is a market town and civil parish operating as a town council within the South Bucks district in Buckinghamshire, England. It lies northwest of Charing Cross in Central London, and south-east of the county town of Aylesbury...
.
Assuming that the signal lever had frozen (when in fact it was electrically locked by the stationary train), he authorised the driver to pass the signal at danger, and the train set off into the still-falling snow. Glancing again at his diagram, he saw that the lights towards Beaconsfield were not in fact lit, and realised that the empty train was still in the section near Seer Green. He quickly went to the window and tried to attract the driver's attention by shouting, but nobody heard him.
The driver of the Banbury train drove too fast for the conditions and ran into the back of the empty train at about 30 mph. The front coach of the Banbury train partly telescoped
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...
underneath the rear coach of the empty train, and the driver and three passengers were killed. Five others were also injured.
Investigation
At the public inquiryPublic inquiry
A Tribunal of Inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body in Common Law countries such as the United Kingdom, Ireland or Canada. Such a public inquiry differs from a Royal Commission in that a public inquiry accepts evidence and conducts its hearings in a more...
, Inspecting Officer Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
C.F. Rose held the signalman at Gerrards Cross chiefly to blame, although he did note that the signalman was newly qualified and had been appointed through a job centre because nobody could be recruited internally. In addition to his inexperience, the signalling between Gerrards Cross and High Wycombe was unusually complex, with several track circuit
Track circuit
A track circuit is a simple electrical device used to detect the absence of a train on rail tracks, used to inform signallers and control relevant signals.- Principles and operation :...
block sections and intermediate block
British absolute block signalling
The principle of the British absolute block system of railway signalling is to ensure the safe operation of a railway by allowing only one train to occupy a defined section of track at a time...
sections. The signal box diagram was subsequently altered to make its indications less ambiguous.
The driver of the Banbury train also shared some responsibility, because he drove too fast to be able to stop short of the stationary train.
Although British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
's rules stated that the guard of the empty train should have applied detonator
Detonator (railway)
A railway detonator is a device used to make a loud sound as a warning signal to train drivers. The detonator is the size of a large coin with two lead straps, one on each side. The detonator is placed on the top of the rail and the straps are used to secure it...
protection, this would have been unreasonable given that the obstruction would have been cleared in a few minutes.