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.
PLEASE NOTE : IMPORTANT MESSAGE : Please be aware that I do not sell copies of ANY of my pictures, DO NOT email copies to viewers or allow re-posting on other sites. Neither do I wish to enter into correspondence with any individual or group regarding my pictures or their captions. All comments reflect my personal opinions and I am not prepared to discuss these with anyone. I apologise for this disclaimer but I'm afraid it has been forced upon me. I have no wish to upset anyone and please continue to enjoy my pictures at your leisure.

$THIRSK - (3) On July 31st, 1967, the 1200 1A26 express train from King's Cross to Edinburgh and Aberdeen, hauled by DP2, collided at speed with the wreckage of a derailed freight train around 1517 on that day. Seven people were killed and 45 injured, 15 seriously. Following the accident, three of the four lines were blocked by the wreckage of the collision. The Up Slow line was not damaged and was used by special trains to take the dead and injured to Newcastle upon Tyne. The circumstances surrounding this crash were that the 0240 Cliffe to Uddingston cement train was travelling on the Down Slow line at about 45 mph, the maximum speed permitted at the time for trains conveying loaded wagons of this type, when the rear axle of the 12th wagon became derailed towards the cess on plain track. As the train proceeded, the derailed wheels moved further towards the cess smashing the timber sleepers in the track until, after travelling some 170 yards, the coupling between the 11th and 12th wagons fractured and the vacuum hose pipe parted, causing the brakes to become fully applied on both portions of the train. The front portion proceeded along the line for 470 yards and then stopped. The 13th to 20th wagons in the rear portion became derailed and went down the embankment, and came to rest mostly on their sides. The 23rd wagon, however, was slewed round more or less at right angles to the line and stopped with its leading end some 2 feet foul of the Down Fast line. The passenger train was running under clear signals on the Down Fast line at about 80 mph close behind the freight train. The driver saw at a distance of about 600 yards what seemed to him to be a cloud of dust and then he saw the cement wagon foul of the line on which his train was travelling. He applied the brakes fully but he could not prevent a collision, and the left-hand side of the locomotive struck the wagon at a speed of about 50 mph. The locomotive and the leading seven coaches were derailed towards the Up Fast line but they remained upright and inline; the rear six coaches remained on the track. The left-hand side of the locomotive was extensively damaged and the driver and second man were fortunate to escape injury. The derailed coaches were all severely damaged but the most serious damage was to the leading coach which had its left-hand side ripped away, and to the next two coaches which were severely torn, all by contact with the wagon. On impact train engine of 1A26 DP2 lurched to the right and the left hand side of the cab was severely damaged along with the left hand side of the first three coaches, all side-corridor BR Mark 1s. On coaches 2 and 3 this was fortunately on the corridor side, but on the leading coach this was the compartment side and this is where most of the casualties were. The damage to DP2 proved to be so great that it was considered uneconomical to repair. It was withdrawn from BR service in September 1967 and moved to the Vulcan Foundry where it was stored until it was dismantled in 1968, its reusable parts being provided to the Class 50 pool of spares. Its engine initially went to D417/50 017 'Royal Oak', but ended its working days in D437/50037 'Illustrious'. Very little is left of the leading carriage, where most of the casualties occurred.$

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THIRSK - (3) On July 31st, 1967, the 1200 1A26 express train from King's Cross to Edinburgh and Aberdeen, hauled by DP2, collided at speed with the wreckage of a derailed freight train around 1517 on that day. Seven people were killed and 45 injured, 15 seriously. Following the accident, three of the four lines were blocked by the wreckage of the collision. The Up Slow line was not damaged and was used by special trains to take the dead and injured to Newcastle upon Tyne. The circumstances surrounding this crash were that the 0240 Cliffe to Uddingston cement train was travelling on the Down Slow line at about 45 mph, the maximum speed permitted at the time for trains conveying loaded wagons of this type, when the rear axle of the 12th wagon became derailed towards the cess on plain track. As the train proceeded, the derailed wheels moved further towards the cess smashing the timber sleepers in the track until, after travelling some 170 yards, the coupling between the 11th and 12th wagons fractured and the vacuum hose pipe parted, causing the brakes to become fully applied on both portions of the train. The front portion proceeded along the line for 470 yards and then stopped. The 13th to 20th wagons in the rear portion became derailed and went down the embankment, and came to rest mostly on their sides. The 23rd wagon, however, was slewed round more or less at right angles to the line and stopped with its leading end some 2 feet foul of the Down Fast line. The passenger train was running under clear signals on the Down Fast line at about 80 mph close behind the freight train. The driver saw at a distance of about 600 yards what seemed to him to be a cloud of dust and then he saw the cement wagon foul of the line on which his train was travelling. He applied the brakes fully but he could not prevent a collision, and the left-hand side of the locomotive struck the wagon at a speed of about 50 mph. The locomotive and the leading seven coaches were derailed towards the Up Fast line but they remained upright and inline; the rear six coaches remained on the track. The left-hand side of the locomotive was extensively damaged and the driver and second man were fortunate to escape injury. The derailed coaches were all severely damaged but the most serious damage was to the leading coach which had its left-hand side ripped away, and to the next two coaches which were severely torn, all by contact with the wagon. On impact train engine of 1A26 DP2 lurched to the right and the left hand side of the cab was severely damaged along with the left hand side of the first three coaches, all side-corridor BR Mark 1s. On coaches 2 and 3 this was fortunately on the corridor side, but on the leading coach this was the compartment side and this is where most of the casualties were. The damage to DP2 proved to be so great that it was considered uneconomical to repair. It was withdrawn from BR service in September 1967 and moved to the Vulcan Foundry where it was stored until it was dismantled in 1968, its reusable parts being provided to the Class 50 pool of spares. Its engine initially went to D417/50 017 'Royal Oak', but ended its working days in D437/50037 'Illustrious'. Very little is left of the leading carriage, where most of the casualties occurred.