Atherstone rail accident
Encyclopedia
The Atherstone rail accident happened near Atherstone railway station
in the small hours
of the morning of 16 November 1860, and killed 10 people.
A special cattle train from Holyhead
to London via Peterborough
was shunting just south of Atherstone station to let the Scotch mail train pass. Before the cattle train could clear the main line, the mail train struck it. The rear four rear carriages of the cattle train were 'shivered to pieces' killing all nine Irish drovers who were asleep in the brake van
and the fireman of the mail train, James Sherry. 29 cattle were killed or had to be slaughtered soon afterwards. The Duke and Duchess of Montrose
were passengers on the mail train but escaped without injury.
The driver of the mail train was not aware that a cattle train was ahead of him when they left Tamworth
(the preceding station) and claimed he had not seen the advance signal at all approaching Atherstone station, but did not worry as he was not aware of there being a train ahead of him. By the time he saw a red signal just before the station he immediately applied the brakes but it was too late to avoid the collision.
The enquiry criticized the decision to allow the cattle train to leave Tamworth ahead of the mail train without allowing sufficient time to clear the lines at Atherstone, and of the failure to warn the mail train driver about the train ahead of him. It also criticized the driver for not seeing the advance red signal. A further recommendation was that in future in cattle trains drovers' vans be placed in front of the cattle trucks instead of behind them.
Atherstone railway station
Atherstone railway station serves the town of Atherstone in Warwickshire.It is located on the Trent Valley section of the West Coast Main Line, exactly 102 miles from London Euston station, as a placard on an adjacent building announces...
in the small hours
Small Hours
Small Hours is the current late night radio show hosted by Donal Dineen on Today FM. It commenced broadcasting in 2004, following the seven-year tenure of Here Comes the Night...
of the morning of 16 November 1860, and killed 10 people.
A special cattle train from Holyhead
Holyhead
Holyhead is the largest town in the county of Anglesey in the North Wales. It is also a major port adjacent to the Irish Sea serving Ireland....
to London via Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
was shunting just south of Atherstone station to let the Scotch mail train pass. Before the cattle train could clear the main line, the mail train struck it. The rear four rear carriages of the cattle train were 'shivered to pieces' killing all nine Irish drovers who were asleep in the brake van
Brake van
Brake van and guard's van are terms used mainly in the UK, Australia and India for a railway vehicle equipped with a hand brake which can be applied by the guard...
and the fireman of the mail train, James Sherry. 29 cattle were killed or had to be slaughtered soon afterwards. The Duke and Duchess of Montrose
Duke of Montrose
The title of Duke of Montrose was created twice in the peerage of Scotland, firstly in 1488 for David Lindsay, 5th Earl of Crawford. It was forfeited and then returned, but only for the period of the holder's lifetime...
were passengers on the mail train but escaped without injury.
The driver of the mail train was not aware that a cattle train was ahead of him when they left Tamworth
Tamworth railway station
Tamworth railway station is located where the Cross Country Route passes over the West Coast Main Line, in the United Kingdom, although there is no rail link between the two lines...
(the preceding station) and claimed he had not seen the advance signal at all approaching Atherstone station, but did not worry as he was not aware of there being a train ahead of him. By the time he saw a red signal just before the station he immediately applied the brakes but it was too late to avoid the collision.
The enquiry criticized the decision to allow the cattle train to leave Tamworth ahead of the mail train without allowing sufficient time to clear the lines at Atherstone, and of the failure to warn the mail train driver about the train ahead of him. It also criticized the driver for not seeing the advance red signal. A further recommendation was that in future in cattle trains drovers' vans be placed in front of the cattle trucks instead of behind them.
Sources
- The History of Atherstone by Brenda Watts and Eleanor Winyard, publ 1988, ISBN 0948087129, pages 96–97
- The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
1860 :- November 17 page 7 "Frightful Accident on the Trent Valley Railway"
- November 26 page 7 "The Trent Valley Railway Collision"