Winsford rail crash
Encyclopedia
There have been three major rail accidents near Winsford
in Cheshire
:
in and around Crewe
had caused points to become frozen and trains were being detained at signals. Approximately midway between Winsford and Crewe, the English Electric type 4 diesel
hauled 13:30 Glasgow Central to London Euston
was stopped at a signal but the driver found the telephone
to Coppenhall Junction, the next signal box ahead, out of order. Seeing the next signal ahead he decided to proceed down towards it and use the telephone there, but in the darkness failed to notice the 16:45 express from Liverpool
to Birmingham
standing on the line ahead and collided with it at about 20 mph.
The rear coaches of the Liverpool train were badly damaged in the collision, some of them being telescoped
. 18 passengers were killed and 34 were injured.
electric express train from London Euston
to Glasgow Central ran into an empty four-carriage Pacer
unit, injuring 31 people. The express had been travelling at about 110 mph, but driver Roy Eccles noticed the Pacer on the line and was able to decelerate to about 50 mph at the time of impact. Eccles was awarded a medal for his prompt action, which averted a much more serious accident. It has also been reported that the driver of the Pacer train helped in rescue efforts, and managed to help passengers of the Virgin train to safety despite his injuries.
The Pacer had passed a signal at danger
and run through a set of points, coming to a stand on the line on which the express was approaching. Its rear cab was destroyed in the crash along with a section of the passenger accommodation, and the coach bodies were displaced from their underframes. The incident report stated that the accident was most likely to have been human error of the Pacer driver, discounting signal failure or brake failure as likely causes. Another report states it could have been a brake failure which had caused the signal to be passed at danger.
Winsford railway station
Winsford railway station serves the town of Winsford in Cheshire, England.It is a staffed station which has a hourly service throughout the day with a few exceptions....
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
:
1948 accident
On the evening of 26 December 1962, cold weather and snowSnow
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...
in and around Crewe
Crewe railway station
Crewe railway station was completed in 1837 and is one of the most historic railway stations in the world. Built in fields near to Crewe Hall, it originally served the village of Crewe with a population of just 70 residents...
had caused points to become frozen and trains were being detained at signals. Approximately midway between Winsford and Crewe, the English Electric type 4 diesel
British Rail Class 40
The British Rail Class 40 is a type of British railway diesel locomotive. Built by English Electric between 1958 and 1962, and eventually numbering 200, they were for a time the pride of the British Rail early diesel fleet...
hauled 13:30 Glasgow Central to London Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
was stopped at a signal but the driver found the telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
to Coppenhall Junction, the next signal box ahead, out of order. Seeing the next signal ahead he decided to proceed down towards it and use the telephone there, but in the darkness failed to notice the 16:45 express from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
standing on the line ahead and collided with it at about 20 mph.
The rear coaches of the Liverpool train were badly damaged in the collision, some of them being 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...
. 18 passengers were killed and 34 were injured.
1999 accident
On 23 June 1999, a Virgin TrainsVirgin Trains
Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. It operates long-distance passenger services on the West Coast Main Line between London, the West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland...
electric express train from London Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
to Glasgow Central ran into an empty four-carriage Pacer
Pacer (train)
Pacer is the operational name of the British Rail Classes 140, 141, 142, 143 and 144 diesel multiple unit railbuses, built between 1984 and 1987...
unit, injuring 31 people. The express had been travelling at about 110 mph, but driver Roy Eccles noticed the Pacer on the line and was able to decelerate to about 50 mph at the time of impact. Eccles was awarded a medal for his prompt action, which averted a much more serious accident. It has also been reported that the driver of the Pacer train helped in rescue efforts, and managed to help passengers of the Virgin train to safety despite his injuries.
The Pacer had passed a signal at danger
Signal passed at danger
A Signal passed at danger , in British railway terminology, occurs when a train passes a stop signal without authority to do so. It is a term primarily used within the British Railway Industry, although it can be applied worldwide.-Categories of SPAD:...
and run through a set of points, coming to a stand on the line on which the express was approaching. Its rear cab was destroyed in the crash along with a section of the passenger accommodation, and the coach bodies were displaced from their underframes. The incident report stated that the accident was most likely to have been human error of the Pacer driver, discounting signal failure or brake failure as likely causes. Another report states it could have been a brake failure which had caused the signal to be passed at danger.