2. RAILWAYS
  3. OFF THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW

OFF THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW

This gallery is a sort of compendium of all the bent and the broken, the crashed and the bashed, both steam age and modern, loco and stock, both British and foreign. Most are duplicates of pictures to be found in other galleries, some taken by me and some very obviously not. These pictures are displayed for recreational/information/research purposes only and are not for sale under any circumstances. Every effort has been made to verify the information in the captions but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
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MUSSELBURGH - On January 1st, 1941, Class D11 4-4-0 No.6390 HOBBIE ELLIOTT on a freight train crashed into Musselburgh Station, demolishing the bookstall and killing the attendant. Part of the stationmaster's house above was also damaged. The bathroom collapsed and the bath lay on top of the wreckage. The force of the crash caused some of the wagons of the train and their contents to come together in concertina fashion, and then shoot into the air. A heap of wreckage amassed in this way reached a height of about 30 feet and penetrated the station roof, which was holed in two places. Girders holding the roof fell across the platform and lines. <br /> The guard on the train involved said there would be 550 tons weight in both the wagons and the engine of the goods train. At 7.17 a.m. they got a clear signal to proceed to Newhailes. The first indication he had that anything was wrong was just past Newhailes signal cabin, when he felt the train on a branch line he did not know, and which he did not think the driver knew. He applied the handbrake in his van, but the train was skidding down a gradient, and his action had little effect. Shortly afterwards there was a terrific crash.<br /> David Little Ramage, signalman, said when the engine passed his cabin on the branch line to Musselburgh he waved a red lamp and blew a whistle. He thought that the train was a runaway.<br /> John Renton Hunter (43), the driver of the engine of the goods train, said he did not know the Musselburgh branch line. The Newhailes distant signal was in the clear position, but he could not see the home signal. When he felt the train lurch on to the branch line he applied his brakes. The engine skidded, and he released the brakes and sanded the rails. Then he reapplied the brakes. The weight of the train appeared to be too heavy for the engine.<br /> A fitter later examined the wreckage of the engine and could find no fault with the brakes.<br /> Although the picture shows a scene of complete devastation, the engine was not badly damaged, being returned to service and withdrawn in September 1958 as BR No.62683.
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MUSSELBURGH - On January 1st, 1941, Class D11 4-4-0 No.6390 HOBBIE ELLIOTT on a freight train crashed into Musselburgh Station, demolishing the bookstall and killing the attendant. Part of the stationmaster's house above was also damaged. The bathroom collapsed and the bath lay on top of the wreckage. The force of the crash caused some of the wagons of the train and their contents to come together in concertina fashion, and then shoot into the air. A heap of wreckage amassed in this way reached a height of about 30 feet and penetrated the station roof, which was holed in two places. Girders holding the roof fell across the platform and lines.
The guard on the train involved said there would be 550 tons weight in both the wagons and the engine of the goods train. At 7.17 a.m. they got a clear signal to proceed to Newhailes. The first indication he had that anything was wrong was just past Newhailes signal cabin, when he felt the train on a branch line he did not know, and which he did not think the driver knew. He applied the handbrake in his van, but the train was skidding down a gradient, and his action had little effect. Shortly afterwards there was a terrific crash.
David Little Ramage, signalman, said when the engine passed his cabin on the branch line to Musselburgh he waved a red lamp and blew a whistle. He thought that the train was a runaway.
John Renton Hunter (43), the driver of the engine of the goods train, said he did not know the Musselburgh branch line. The Newhailes distant signal was in the clear position, but he could not see the home signal. When he felt the train lurch on to the branch line he applied his brakes. The engine skidded, and he released the brakes and sanded the rails. Then he reapplied the brakes. The weight of the train appeared to be too heavy for the engine.
A fitter later examined the wreckage of the engine and could find no fault with the brakes.
Although the picture shows a scene of complete devastation, the engine was not badly damaged, being returned to service and withdrawn in September 1958 as BR No.62683.

  • MAV - V43 1111 - 379 of these 'Universal' AC mixed traffic locos were built between 1963 and 1982 by Ganz/MAVAG - under repair at Budapest Eszaki Works with accident damage, 17/04/03.
  • MAV - V43 1363 - 379 of these 'Universal' AC mixed traffic locos were built between 1963 and 1982 by Ganz/MAVAG - somewhat remodelled, undergoing a rebuild at Budapest Eszaki Works, 17/04/03.
  • MAYFIELD - 297 BONCHURCH - Stroudley LBSCR Class D1 0-4-2T - built 12/1877 by Brighton Works - 1923 to SR - 1931 to SR No.2297 - 09/37 withdrawn from Horsham MPD - On 1st September 1897 a train crash occurred on curved section of track between Heathfield and Mayfield, due mainly to the poor state of the permanent way. The 6 carriage train was derailed and the driver killed. In this picture we see only the leading carriage of the train, the other five having gone down the embankment.
  • MAZE HILL - On July 4th, 1958, the 9.41 am 4-coach electric passenger train from Gravesend Central to Charing Cross ran past the Up home signal at danger and collided head-on with a 9-coach empty stock train hauled by Wainwright SECR Class C 0-6-0 No.31461 which was being shunted slowly from the Up sidings across the Up line towards the Down line. The accident occurred as the empty train was entering the crossover leading from the Up to the Down line. The passenger train was approaching the station at about 40 mph when the motorman, who had failed to observe the home signal, saw the obstruction ahead and applied the brakes. His action was too late to be effective and the collision occurred at a speed of about 25 mph. The force of the impact drove the empty train backwards for 11 yards and lifted the engine which mounted the leading coach of the electric train. The Up and Down lines were blocked and the electric current was cut off immediately by the heavy short circuit. There were about 50 passengers in the electric train, and 43 of these, together with the motorman and guard, were taken to hospital where five were detained, but none was seriously injured.
  • MAZE HILL - On July 4th, 1958, the 9.41 am 4-coach electric passenger train from Gravesend Central to Charing Cross ran past the Up home signal at danger and collided head-on with a 9-coach empty stock train hauled by Wainwright SECR Class C 0-6-0 No.31461 which was being shunted slowly from the Up sidings across the Up line towards the Down line. The accident occurred as the empty train was entering the crossover leading from the Up to the Down line. The passenger train was approaching the station at about 40 mph when the motorman, who had failed to observe the home signal, saw the obstruction ahead and applied the brakes. His action was too late to be effective and the collision occurred at a speed of about 25 mph. The force of the impact drove the empty train backwards for 11 yards and lifted the engine which mounted the leading coach of the electric train. The Up and Down lines were blocked and the electric current was cut off immediately by the heavy short circuit. There were about 50 passengers in the electric train, and 43 of these, together with the motorman and guard, were taken to hospital where five were detained, but none was seriously injured. 31461 was not repaired and was withdrawn in August 1958.
  • MIDDLESBROUGH - On August 3rd, 1942, a lone Dornier Do 217 picked its way through the barrage balloons around Middlebrough and dropped a stick of bombs onto the railway station. One bomb caused serious damage to the Victorian glass and steel roof, so severe that it was removed in 1954. 8 people were killed. A train in the station with Class V1 2-6-2T No.451 at its head was also badly damaged although there were no passengers aboard. It was eventually repaired and returned to service. The station was out of action for the next two weeks.
  • MIDHURST - In the early hours of November 19th, 1951, floods washed away an embankment just south of Midhurst, approximately where Holmbush Industrial Estate stands today. One of the streams that feeds South Pond ran under the embankment through a culvert which became blocked. Subsequently the large build up of water broke through, taking the line with it. The crew of an approaching goods train pulled by locomotive ex-LB&SCR Class C2X No.32522 barely managed to leap from the locomotive seconds before it fell into the gap. As a result the line between Cocking and Midhurst was abandoned. The Midhurst to Chichester line was opened in 1881 and passenger services had been withdrawn in 1935
  • MILTON - The crash occurred at about 1315 on Sunday November 20th, 1955, at Milton, between Steventon and Didcot on the line from Swindon on the Western Region of British Railways. The train involved was the 0830 excursion train from Treherbert, South Wales, to Paddington station, consisting of ten coaches hauled by Britannia Pacific no. 70026 POLAR STAR. The train failed to slow down for a low speed crossover. The engine and several carriages rolled down an embankment, which exacerbated the severity of the accident, killinhg 11 people and injuring a further 157. Because the track involved had been formerly operated by the Great Western Railway, the signals were on the right hand side, but the train was hauled by one of the new British Railways Standard Class 7 locomotives, which had its driving position on the left hand side. This incompatibility hampered the driver's view of the signals. As a result of this crash, the signals were later modified to prevent a driver seeing a proceed signal for the crossover too soon. Handrails on the smoke deflectors also obscured the drivers' view, and these were later removed and replaced with hand holds on all the "Britannia" class locomotives that ran on the Western Region.
  • MNACHESTER SHIP CANAL - No.29 BOMBAY - 0-6-0T - built 1903 by Hudswell Clarke & Co., Works No.662 - seen here on June 25th, 1925, when No.72 was taking a train of empties up a gradient near Barton Locks, whilst a short distance behind, at a suitable distance, came locomotive No.29 Bombay travelling light engine. The usual method of ascending the gradient, Barton Bank, was for the engine to rush it in order to reach the top without stalling. For some reason locomotive No.72 snatched at the train with the result that a wagon coupling parted and the train ran downhill. Locomotive 29 was reversed in order to try matching speeds with the runaways and attempt to bring them to a stop, but unfortunately events happened too quickly for such an attempt to succeed, and the wagons hit locomotive No.29 driving it back, but not before depositing two wagons on top of the engine! Incredibly no one was injured.
  • MUSSELBURGH - On January 1st, 1941, Class D11 4-4-0 No.6390 HOBBIE ELLIOTT on a freight train crashed into Musselburgh Station, demolishing the bookstall and killing the attendant. Part of the stationmaster's house above was also damaged. The bathroom collapsed and the bath lay on top of the wreckage. The force of the crash caused some of the wagons of the train and their contents to come together in concertina fashion, and then shoot into the air. A heap of wreckage amassed in this way reached a height of about 30 feet and penetrated the station roof, which was holed in two places. Girders holding the roof fell across the platform and lines. <br /> The guard on the train involved said there would be 550 tons weight in both the wagons and the engine of the goods train. At 7.17 a.m. they got a clear signal to proceed to Newhailes. The first indication he had that anything was wrong was just past Newhailes signal cabin, when he felt the train on a branch line he did not know, and which he did not think the driver knew. He applied the handbrake in his van, but the train was skidding down a gradient, and his action had little effect. Shortly afterwards there was a terrific crash.<br /> David Little Ramage, signalman, said when the engine passed his cabin on the branch line to Musselburgh he waved a red lamp and blew a whistle. He thought that the train was a runaway.<br /> John Renton Hunter (43), the driver of the engine of the goods train, said he did not know the Musselburgh branch line. The Newhailes distant signal was in the clear position, but he could not see the home signal. When he felt the train lurch on to the branch line he applied his brakes. The engine skidded, and he released the brakes and sanded the rails. Then he reapplied the brakes. The weight of the train appeared to be too heavy for the engine.<br /> A fitter later examined the wreckage of the engine and could find no fault with the brakes.<br /> Although the picture shows a scene of complete devastation, the engine was not badly damaged, being returned to service and withdrawn in September 1958 as BR No.62683.
  • NEWDIGATE COLLIERY, Warwickshire - A pile up of derailed loose-coupled coal wagons, some of them in the barge and the Coventry Canal, in 1915.
  • NEWDIGATE COLLIERY, Warwickshire - A pile up of derailed loose-coupled coal wagons, some of them in the barge and the Coventry Canal, in 1915. It evidently drew quite a crowd!
  • NEW ENGLAND LOCOMOTIVE DEPOT - Quite what happened here I do not know but I suspect it was over zealous parking! In February 1964, Class 46 D177 has come through the wall into the repair shed inflicting considerable damage to both itself and the Class 08's under repair. Fortunately, all of the damage was easily repaired, except for maybe the wagon!
  • NEW ENGLAND LOCOMOTIVE DEPOT - Quite what happened here I do not know but I suspect it was over zealous parking! In February 1964, Class 46 D177 has come through the wall into the repair shed inflicting considerable damage to both itself and the Class 08's under repair. Fortunately, all of the damage was easily repaired.
  • NEW ENGLAND LOCOMOTIVE DEPOT - Quite what happened here I do not know but I suspect it was over zealous parking! In February 1964, Class 46 D177 has come through the wall into the repair shed inflicting considerable damage to both itself and the Class 08's under repair. Fortunately, all of the damage was easily repaired.
  • NEWRY - I can't seem to find much detail on this. Class 141 No.148 was stopped and hijacked by the IRA as it crossed the border in September 1979. They ordered the crew off and then set the train to run away. Three miles later, it derailed near Newry and completely blocked the mainline.
  • NEW SOUTHGATE - The 7.50 p.m. Express Passenger train from Edinburgh, comprising 11 bogie coaches hauled by 60508 DUKE OF ROTHESAY, was travelling at about 70 m.p.h. through a short tunnel on the straight Up Fast line when the trailing bogie wheels of the engine became derailed. Derailment of the leading bogie wheels followed at the V crossing of a facing connection 689 yards ahead, outside the tunnel, after which the whole train became derailed as the track was destroyed by the engine bogie. The engine broke away from the train when the tender screw coupling parted, overturned to the right, and slid on its side for about 100 yards through an overbridge, coming to rest 1145 yards from the initial point of derailment. The fireman was killed, but there were no serious casualties in the crowded train, though the leading vehicle, a corridor brake third, was also overturned and considerably damaged; all the Buckeye couplings between the coaches held fast and the remaining ten came to rest upright and in line with very little damage except to bogies and undergear. One passenger was detained in hospital for two days and nine others sustained minor injuries or shock; the driver was also slightly injured.
  • NEW SOUTHGATE - The 7.50 p.m. Express Passenger train from Edinburgh, comprising 11 bogie coaches hauled by 60508 DUKE OF ROTHESAY, was travelling at about 70 m.p.h. through a short tunnel on the straight Up Fast line when the trailing bogie wheels of the engine became derailed. Derailment of the leading bogie wheels followed at the V crossing of a facing connection 689 yards ahead, outside the tunnel, after which the whole train became derailed as the track was destroyed by the engine bogie. The engine broke away from the train when the tender screw coupling parted, overturned to the right, and slid on its side for about 100 yards through an overbridge, coming to rest 1145 yards from the initial point of derailment. The fireman was killed, but there were no serious casualties in the crowded train, though the leading vehicle, a corridor brake third, was also overturned and considerably damaged; all the Buckeye couplings between the coaches held fast and the remaining ten came to rest upright and in line with very little damage except to bogies and undergear. One passenger was detained in hospital for two days and nine others sustained minor injuries or shock; the driver was also slightly injured.
  • NEW SOUTHGATE - The 7.50 p.m. Express Passenger train from Edinburgh, comprising 11 bogie coaches hauled by 60508 DUKE OF ROTHESAY, was travelling at about 70 m.p.h. through a short tunnel on the straight Up Fast line when the trailing bogie wheels of the engine became derailed. Derailment of the leading bogie wheels followed at the V crossing of a facing connection 689 yards ahead, outside the tunnel, after which the whole train became derailed as the track was destroyed by the engine bogie. The engine broke away from the train when the tender screw coupling parted, overturned to the right, and slid on its side for about 100 yards through an overbridge, coming to rest 1145 yards from the initial point of derailment. The fireman was killed, but there were no serious casualties in the crowded train, though the leading vehicle, a corridor brake third, was also overturned and considerably damaged; all the Buckeye couplings between the coaches held fast and the remaining ten came to rest upright and in line with very little damage except to bogies and undergear. One passenger was detained in hospital for two days and nine others sustained minor injuries or shock; the driver was also slightly injured. Here we see 60113 GREAT NORTHERN passing the stranded 60508 DUKE OF ROTHESAY on a Down express.
  • NEW YORK, NEW HAVEN & HARTFORD RAILROAD - Evidently there were some braking problems on this locomotive!
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