Eastbourne station rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Eastbourne station rail crash was an accident on the British railway system which occurred on 25 August 1958 at Eastbourne railway station
in East Sussex
. The accident killed five people and injured 25 others. Eastbourne station is a terminus station with services to , , London Victoria. At the time of the accident, there was a further service to via the Cuckoo Line
. It was then common for services from Hastings to Brighton to enter Eastbourne and reverse to carry on its journey. Today, all services between Brighton and Hastings reverse at Eastbourne.
"ran past the home signal at Eastbourne at
danger." A second train, the 6:47 a.m. multiple-unit, 12-coach, electric passenger train from Ore
to the London Bridge
, was at the number 4 platform at the Eastbourne station awaiting departure. The first train was carrying 36 passengers and the second 150 passengers. After running the home signal, the steam train struck the electric traveling at a speed of about 25 m.p.h.
The 06:47 to service was about to depart Platform 4. Although scheduled to depart Eastbourne at 07:25, it was running four minutes late. The train had only started to leave when the 19:45 Glasgow to Eastbourne car sleeper service running on the same line collided head on at about 25 miles per hour (11.2 m/s). The sleeper train had been running twelve minutes late on leaving Mitre Bridge, London, where the locomotives are changed and had arrived at six minutes late. It left Polegate on time and on approaching Eastbourne was signal checked. Driver Wembridge failed to see the home signal was set at 'danger' and drove straight through the points, onto the path of the oncoming London Bridge service.
The official accident report stated that the front carriage of the London Bridge train telescoped
onto the second coach, forcing both vehicles into the air and onto their sides. The leading coach struck a heavy signal gantry
, causing it to collapse, landing away from the coaches. The underframe of the third coach was slightly bent. The steam locomotive derailed and the front end and smokebox
were damaged but the leading coach was buffer locked with the tender, although some vans towards the rear of the sleeper train did suffer some damage by derailing and bent buffers.
The only fatalities occurred in the London Bridge train. The motorman
and three passengers were killed at the scene; the fourth passenger died later in hospital. A total of 40 people sustained injuries in the incident.
The enquiry noted that there was heavy rain in the area leading up to the accident although at the time of the incident this was reduced to a light drizzle as reported by many members of staff.
Eastbourne railway station
Eastbourne railway station serves Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It is one of two railway stations in the town, the other being Hampden Park Station...
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. The accident killed five people and injured 25 others. Eastbourne station is a terminus station with services to , , London Victoria. At the time of the accident, there was a further service to via the Cuckoo Line
Cuckoo Line
The Cuckoo Line is an informal name for the now defunct railway service which linked Polegate and Eridge in East Sussex, England, from 1880 to 1968. It was nicknamed the Cuckoo Line by drivers, from a tradition observed at the annual fair at Heathfield, a station on the route...
. It was then common for services from Hastings to Brighton to enter Eastbourne and reverse to carry on its journey. Today, all services between Brighton and Hastings reverse at Eastbourne.
The accident
On Monday, 25 August, 1958, at 7:27 a.m., the 7:45 p.m. sleeper-car steam train originating from GlasgowGlasgow
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...
"ran past the home signal at Eastbourne at
danger." A second train, the 6:47 a.m. multiple-unit, 12-coach, electric passenger train from Ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
to the London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
, was at the number 4 platform at the Eastbourne station awaiting departure. The first train was carrying 36 passengers and the second 150 passengers. After running the home signal, the steam train struck the electric traveling at a speed of about 25 m.p.h.
The 06:47 to service was about to depart Platform 4. Although scheduled to depart Eastbourne at 07:25, it was running four minutes late. The train had only started to leave when the 19:45 Glasgow to Eastbourne car sleeper service running on the same line collided head on at about 25 miles per hour (11.2 m/s). The sleeper train had been running twelve minutes late on leaving Mitre Bridge, London, where the locomotives are changed and had arrived at six minutes late. It left Polegate on time and on approaching Eastbourne was signal checked. Driver Wembridge failed to see the home signal was set at 'danger' and drove straight through the points, onto the path of the oncoming London Bridge service.
Details
Composition of trains:- The 06:47 train from Ore to London Bridge was made of 12 coaches from two electric multiple unitElectric multiple unitAn electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s, formed by a 6PULSR Class 6PulThe Southern Railway gave the designations 6-PUL, 6-CITY and 6-PAN to electric multiple units built to work the routes between London and Brighton, West Worthing and Eastbourne. None of these units survived long enough in British Rail ownership to be allocated a TOPS class number...
unit 3014 and a 6PAN unit 3032. - The 19:47 Glasgow to Eastbourne car sleeper consisted of 16 vehicles, two coaches, three sleeping cars, ten vans for luggage and motor cars and a guards van at the rear and was hauled by a Standard Class 5BR standard class 5The British Railways Standard Class 5MT 4-6-0 was one of the standard classes of steam locomotives built by British Railways in the 1950s. 172 were built, essentially being a development of the LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 .- Background :...
4-6-0 tender engine, No. 73042.
The official accident report stated that the front carriage of the London Bridge train telescoped
Telescoping (railway)
In a railway accident, telescoping occurs when the underframe of one vehicle overrides that of another, and smashes through the second vehicle's body...
onto the second coach, forcing both vehicles into the air and onto their sides. The leading coach struck a heavy signal gantry
Railway signalling
Railway signalling is a system used to control railway traffic safely, essentially to prevent trains from colliding. Being guided by fixed rails, trains are uniquely susceptible to collision; furthermore, trains cannot stop quickly, and frequently operate at speeds that do not enable them to stop...
, causing it to collapse, landing away from the coaches. The underframe of the third coach was slightly bent. The steam locomotive derailed and the front end and smokebox
Smokebox
A smokebox is one of the major basic parts of a Steam locomotive exhaust system. Smoke and hot gases pass from the firebox through tubes where they pass heat to the surrounding water in the boiler. The smoke then enters the smokebox, and is exhausted to the atmosphere through the chimney .To assist...
were damaged but the leading coach was buffer locked with the tender, although some vans towards the rear of the sleeper train did suffer some damage by derailing and bent buffers.
The only fatalities occurred in the London Bridge train. The motorman
Motorman
A motorman is the person who operates an electrified trolley car, tram, light rail, or rapid transit train.The term refers to the person who is in charge of the motor in the same sense as a railroad engineer is in charge of the engine. The term was gender-neutral...
and three passengers were killed at the scene; the fourth passenger died later in hospital. A total of 40 people sustained injuries in the incident.
The enquiry noted that there was heavy rain in the area leading up to the accident although at the time of the incident this was reduced to a light drizzle as reported by many members of staff.
External links
- Official accident report
- Eastbourne Today 50th anniversary