Castlecary (East Dunbartonshire) rail accident
Encyclopedia
Two rail accidents near Castlecary have occurred in Scotland. One of these was in 1937 and one in 1968.
in Scotland
, in snowy weather conditions. Two train
s were involved in a collision
on the Edinburgh
to Glasgow
main line of the LNER
, killing 35 people.
at 6pm, the 5.30pm Edinburgh Waverley
to Glasgow Queen Street
commuter express collided with the late running 4.20pm local train from Dundee
Tay Bridge to Glasgow Queen Street. The locomotive
, LNER Class A3
no. 2744 Grand Parade, hit the rear of the standing local service in Castlecary
station at an estimated 70mph. This location is confined and the rear four coaches disintegrated completely. The engine of the local train, an LNER Class D29 no. 9896 "Dandie Dinmont", was pushed forward 100 yards with the brakes on.
(Scottish equivalent of manslaughter) for supposedly driving too fast in the weather conditions, but the charge was dropped. The Inspecting Officer concluded that it was the signalman who was principally at fault for the disaster. This was Britain's worst snow-related rail crash, others of note being Elliot Junction
in 1906 and Abbots Ripton in 1876.
on this stretch of line were operating Regulation 5e. This means that a double section has to be clear ahead for a train to be signalled to pass the previous box, Greenhill Junction. A set of points
ahead had been blocked by snow. The train from Dundee ran past the Castlecary home signal
in poor visibility but managed to stop just beyond it. The Castlecary signalman failed to check its whereabouts and allowed the following Edinburgh express into the section. This also ran past the same signal and collided with the Dundee train. It is believed that the Castlecary distant signal had stuck in the 'off' ('clear') position, so the express took it that the line was now clear, it wasn't until he crossed the viaduct that he saw the home signal at 'danger'. Even a modern day car would not have stopped in the remaining 50 yards to the tail lamp, which was to be flattened.
) waiting at the next signal. The driver and secondman of the light engine (Class 24 diesel locomotive
D5122) were killed.
1937
An accident occurred on the evening of 10 December 1937, at CastlecaryCastlecary
Castlecary is a small village on the border between the North Lanarkshire and Falkirk council areas in Scotland. It is close to the new town of Cumbernauld....
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in snowy weather conditions. Two train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
s were involved in a collision
Collision
A collision is an isolated event which two or more moving bodies exert forces on each other for a relatively short time.Although the most common colloquial use of the word "collision" refers to accidents in which two or more objects collide, the scientific use of the word "collision" implies...
on the Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
main line of the LNER
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
, killing 35 people.
Details
In a whiteoutWhiteout (weather)
Whiteout is a weather condition in which visibility and contrast are severely reduced by snow or sand. The horizon disappears completely and there are no reference points at all, leaving the individual with a distorted orientation...
at 6pm, the 5.30pm Edinburgh Waverley
Edinburgh Waverley railway station
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Covering an area of over 25 acres in the centre of the city, it is the second-largest main line railway station in the United Kingdom in terms of area, the largest being...
to Glasgow Queen Street
Glasgow Queen Street railway station
Glasgow Queen Street is a railway station in Glasgow, Scotland, the smaller of the city's two main line railway termini and the third-busiest station in Scotland. It is between George Street to the south and Cathedral Street Bridge to the north, at the northern end of Queen Street adjacent to...
commuter express collided with the late running 4.20pm local train from Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
Tay Bridge to Glasgow Queen Street. The locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
, LNER Class A3
LNER Class A1/A3
The London and North Eastern Railway LNER Gresley Classes A1 and A3 locomotives represented two distinct stages in the history of the British 4-6-2 "Pacific" steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley...
no. 2744 Grand Parade, hit the rear of the standing local service in Castlecary
Castlecary
Castlecary is a small village on the border between the North Lanarkshire and Falkirk council areas in Scotland. It is close to the new town of Cumbernauld....
station at an estimated 70mph. This location is confined and the rear four coaches disintegrated completely. The engine of the local train, an LNER Class D29 no. 9896 "Dandie Dinmont", was pushed forward 100 yards with the brakes on.
Aftermath
The death toll was 35 (including 7 train crew) and 179 people were hurt, most of them seriously. An eight year old girl was counted as missing. Poignantly some locals swore to seeing the ghost of the girl for many years. The driver of the Edinburgh train was committed to court on a charge of culpable homicideCulpable homicide
Culpable homicide is a specific offence in various jurisdictions within the Commonwealth of Nations which involves the illegal killing of a person either with or without an intention to kill depending upon how a particular jurisdiction has defined the offence...
(Scottish equivalent of manslaughter) for supposedly driving too fast in the weather conditions, but the charge was dropped. The Inspecting Officer concluded that it was the signalman who was principally at fault for the disaster. This was Britain's worst snow-related rail crash, others of note being Elliot Junction
Elliot Junction rail accident
The Elliot Junction rail accident occurred on 28 December 1906 between Arbroath railway station and Carnoustie railway station in Scotland, with 22 fatalities....
in 1906 and Abbots Ripton in 1876.
Causes
As mentioned above, whiteout conditions applied and visibility was no more than a few yards. The signalmenSignalman (rail)
A signalman or signaller is an employee of a railway transport network who operates the points and signals from a signal box in order to control the movement of trains.- History :...
on this stretch of line were operating Regulation 5e. This means that a double section has to be clear ahead for a train to be signalled to pass the previous box, Greenhill Junction. A set of points
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
ahead had been blocked by snow. The train from Dundee ran past the Castlecary home signal
Railway signal
A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train/engine drivers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...
in poor visibility but managed to stop just beyond it. The Castlecary signalman failed to check its whereabouts and allowed the following Edinburgh express into the section. This also ran past the same signal and collided with the Dundee train. It is believed that the Castlecary distant signal had stuck in the 'off' ('clear') position, so the express took it that the line was now clear, it wasn't until he crossed the viaduct that he saw the home signal at 'danger'. Even a modern day car would not have stopped in the remaining 50 yards to the tail lamp, which was to be flattened.
1968
A second accident occurred in Castlecary on 9 September 1968, also a rear-end collision. A light engine passed a signal at danger after a telephone misunderstanding with the signalman, and collided with a 12-carriage passenger train (consisting of two six-car Class 126 DMUsBritish Rail Class 126
The British Rail Class 126 diesel multiple unit was built by BR Swindon Works in 1959/60 to work services from Glasgow to Ayrshire and comprised 22 Motor Second vehicles , 22 Motor Brake Second , 10 Kitchen Trailer First and 11 Trailer Composite vehicles formed into 22 3-car sets formed Motor...
) waiting at the next signal. The driver and secondman of the light engine (Class 24 diesel locomotive
British Rail Class 24
The British Rail Class 24 diesel locomotives, also known as the Sulzer Type 2, were built from 1958 to 1961. One hundred and fifty-one of these locomotives were built at Derby, Crewe and Darlington, the first twenty of them as part of the British Rail 1955 Modernisation Plan. This class was used as...
D5122) were killed.