Thorpe rail accident
Encyclopedia
The Thorpe rail accident occurred on 10 September 1874, when two trains were in head-on collision at Thorpe St Andrew
in the English
county of Norfolk
.
The accident occurred on what was then a single-track rail line between Norwich railway station
and . The two trains involved were the 20.40 mail from Yarmouth
and the 17.00 express from London to Yarmouth. The latter had left Norwich Thorpe
at 21.30 and would normally have had a clear run on its way to Yarmouth, since the mail train should have been held on a loop line at Brundall to allow the express to pass. On this occasion trains were running late.
In such circumstances, when the timetable was upset, drivers had to have written authority to proceed further. Due to a series of errors (primarily, the telegraph clerk sending the authorization message before it had been signed by the appropriate official), both drivers received their authority, and anxious to make up for lost time, set off at speed along the single track. The accident, when it occurred around 21.45, resulted in both locomotives rearing into the air, and carriages reduced to wreckage.
Both drivers and firemen were killed, as were 17 passengers with 4 later dying from their injuries. 73 passengers and two railway guards were seriously injured.
Prompted by the accident engineer Edward Tyer developed the tablet system
in which a token is given to the train driver; this must be slotted into an electric interlocking device at the other end of the single-track section before another train is allowed to pass.
in Canada in 1950 also involved two trains, controlled by telegraphed orders, authorized to enter the same single-track section in opposite directions.
Thorpe St Andrew
Thorpe St Andrew is a small town and suburb of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk.It is situated about two miles east of the city centre, outside the city boundary in the district of Broadland...
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 Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
.
The accident occurred on what was then a single-track rail line between Norwich railway station
Norwich railway station
Norwich is a railway station serving the city of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street. It is also the terminus of railway lines from Ely, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.-History:At one...
and . The two trains involved were the 20.40 mail from Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth railway station
Great Yarmouth railway station, formerly known as Yarmouth Vauxhall railway station, is in Great Yarmouth in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the terminus of the Wherry Line 29 km from Norwich...
and the 17.00 express from London to Yarmouth. The latter had left Norwich Thorpe
Norwich railway station
Norwich is a railway station serving the city of Norwich in the English county of Norfolk. The station is the northern terminus of the Great Eastern Main Line from London Liverpool Street. It is also the terminus of railway lines from Ely, Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft.-History:At one...
at 21.30 and would normally have had a clear run on its way to Yarmouth, since the mail train should have been held on a loop line at Brundall to allow the express to pass. On this occasion trains were running late.
In such circumstances, when the timetable was upset, drivers had to have written authority to proceed further. Due to a series of errors (primarily, the telegraph clerk sending the authorization message before it had been signed by the appropriate official), both drivers received their authority, and anxious to make up for lost time, set off at speed along the single track. The accident, when it occurred around 21.45, resulted in both locomotives rearing into the air, and carriages reduced to wreckage.
Both drivers and firemen were killed, as were 17 passengers with 4 later dying from their injuries. 73 passengers and two railway guards were seriously injured.
Tyers Electric Train Tablet
Tyer's Electric Train Tablet system is a form of railway signalling for single line railways used in several countries; it was first devised in Great Britain by engineer Edward Tyer after the Thorpe rail accident of 1874, which left 21 people dead...
in which a token is given to the train driver; this must be slotted into an electric interlocking device at the other end of the single-track section before another train is allowed to pass.
Similar accidents
The Canoe River train crashCanoe River train crash
The Canoe River train crash occurred on November 21, 1950, near Valemount in eastern British Columbia, Canada, when a westbound troop train and the eastbound Canadian National Railway Continental Limited collided head-on...
in Canada in 1950 also involved two trains, controlled by telegraphed orders, authorized to enter the same single-track section in opposite directions.