Charing Cross (District Line) tube crash
Encyclopedia
The Charing Cross tube crash occurred on 17 May 1938 at about 09:55 hours, between Charing Cross
(now Embankment
) and Temple
stations. Six people were killed when a Circle Line service ran through a false clear
signal
into the rear of a District Line service held at an automatic signal.
The track circuits connected to the signal cabin at Charing Cross had been converted to alternating current
on the morning of 8 May. As a result, there was some wiring which needed to be secured. This work was carried out during the engineering hours on 17 May.
The signal wiring engineer had secured and reconnected all wires between the various circuit breakers in the cabin. However, one wire, which linked circuit breaker number 8 to circuit breaker number 9 had been put on the wrong terminal of circuit breaker number 9, thereby causing signal EH9, the eastbound starter signal, to clear too soon, with a train held at automatic signal number 823. http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_CharingCross1938.pdf
The cabin was put into automatic mode as this was how it was normally set, but no testing was carried out, and traffic began with no observation from the engineers. Manual working was only used when a train was to be reversed at Charing Cross.
The problem was first noticed as the line became busy, and was reported by a motorman on arrival at Temple, at 09:40. The motorman reported that he had nearly run into the train ahead.
The message was conveyed to Charing Cross but no prompt action was taken despite further reports that the signal was clearing too soon. By the time it became clear that there was a significant problem, it was too late to prevent the collision.
The report to the Ministry of Transport held the Signal Installer and Chief Lineman responsible for the wiring error and the failure to test the signals thoroughly, and the Station Foreman, Porter and Inspector responsible for not acting promptly to prevent a collision.
A similar accident involving a signal wiring error had occurred near the same station on the Northern Line
on 10 March.
Embankment tube station
Embankment is a London Underground station in the City of Westminster, known by various names during its history. It is served by the Circle, District, Northern and Bakerloo lines. On the Northern and Bakerloo lines, the station is between Waterloo and Charing Cross stations; on the Circle and...
(now Embankment
Embankment tube station
Embankment is a London Underground station in the City of Westminster, known by various names during its history. It is served by the Circle, District, Northern and Bakerloo lines. On the Northern and Bakerloo lines, the station is between Waterloo and Charing Cross stations; on the Circle and...
) and Temple
Temple tube station
Temple is a London Underground station in the City of Westminster, between Victoria Embankment and Temple Place. It is on the Circle and District lines between Embankment and Blackfriars and is in Travelcard Zone 1. The station entrance is from Victoria Embankment...
stations. Six people were killed when a Circle Line service ran through a false clear
Wrong-side failure
A wrong side failure describes a failure condition in a piece of railway signalling equipment that results in an unsafe state.A typical example would be a signal showing a 'proceed' aspect when it should be showing a 'stop' or 'danger' aspect, resulting in a "false clear"...
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...
into the rear of a District Line service held at an automatic signal.
The track circuits connected to the signal cabin at Charing Cross had been converted to alternating current
Alternating current
In alternating current the movement of electric charge periodically reverses direction. In direct current , the flow of electric charge is only in one direction....
on the morning of 8 May. As a result, there was some wiring which needed to be secured. This work was carried out during the engineering hours on 17 May.
The signal wiring engineer had secured and reconnected all wires between the various circuit breakers in the cabin. However, one wire, which linked circuit breaker number 8 to circuit breaker number 9 had been put on the wrong terminal of circuit breaker number 9, thereby causing signal EH9, the eastbound starter signal, to clear too soon, with a train held at automatic signal number 823. http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/MoT_CharingCross1938.pdf
The cabin was put into automatic mode as this was how it was normally set, but no testing was carried out, and traffic began with no observation from the engineers. Manual working was only used when a train was to be reversed at Charing Cross.
The problem was first noticed as the line became busy, and was reported by a motorman on arrival at Temple, at 09:40. The motorman reported that he had nearly run into the train ahead.
The message was conveyed to Charing Cross but no prompt action was taken despite further reports that the signal was clearing too soon. By the time it became clear that there was a significant problem, it was too late to prevent the collision.
The report to the Ministry of Transport held the Signal Installer and Chief Lineman responsible for the wiring error and the failure to test the signals thoroughly, and the Station Foreman, Porter and Inspector responsible for not acting promptly to prevent a collision.
A similar accident involving a signal wiring error had occurred near the same station on the Northern Line
Charing Cross (Northern Line) tube crash
The Charing Cross tube crash occurred at 08:32 hours on 10 March 1938, when two Northern Line trains collided near Charing Cross . Twelve people were slightly injured. The cause was a wrong-side failure of the automatic signals; an electrician had rewired a faulty signal, S94B, so that it showed...
on 10 March.