King's Cross railway accident
Encyclopedia
The King's Cross railway accident occurred on 4 February 1945, at London King's Cross railway station on the East Coast Main Line
of the London & North Eastern Railway
. Two passengers were killed and 25 injured, as well as the train attendant.
The track is level through platform 5; it then dips at 1 in 100 (1%) for 146 yards (133.5 m), to a point 51 yards (46.6 m) inside the tunnel, where the line passes beneath Regent's Canal
; it then rises at a gradient of 1 in 105 (0.95%) through the tunnel for a total of 1.25 miles (2 km). Because of the gradient in the tunnel, it had been the practice since December 1943 for heavy trains to be assisted for the first 100 yards (91.4 m) by being pushed out by the locomotive which had hauled the empty coaches into the platform.
During the night and morning of 3–4 February 1945, the worn rails of no. 1 down main line had been replaced with new ones, as part of routine maintenance; this line had been in use since 12:45 on 4 February.
The locomotive, Class A4
4-6-2
no. 2512 Silver Fox, had been built in 1935. The rearmost coach was a Vestibuled Brake Composite, no. 1889, which had been built at Doncaster in 1941 as part of an order for ten (authorised in 1939 against order no. 999). The design, known as Diagram 314, used a steel underframe 60 feet (18.3 m) long, mounted on two bogies each having a wheelbase of 8 in 6 in (2.59 m), spaced at 43 feet (13.1 m) centres. The body was 61 in 6 in (18.75 m) long, 9 in 3 in (2.82 m) wide, and built largely of wood, principally teak. It consisted of two first-class compartments in the centre seating six each, flanked on one side by three third-class compartments also seating six each, and on the other side by a brake section for the guard. There was a side corridor, and unlike other pre-war designs of brake composite on the LNER, the external doors in the body sides were in vestibules close to the ends, instead of in the compartments; a feature which had been gradually introduced from 1930.
, who had controlled the MG car company
.
Coach no. 1889 was so severely damaged that it was written off. It had been scheduled to be renumbered 10153, but that number then remained blank.
Two weeks later, the signal gantry was replaced, but complete services were not restored until 23 February 1945.
The accident has variously been described as "somewhat bizarre" and "stupid".
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
of the London & North Eastern Railway
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...
. Two passengers were killed and 25 injured, as well as the train attendant.
The situation
The exit from is through Gasworks Tunnel, which has three bores, each of which had two tracks at the time of the accident. The centre bore had the No. 1 down main line on its western side, and the up relief line on its eastern side. Trains from platforms 5, 6 or 7 gained the no. 1 down main line via a crossover from the up relief line, which was controlled by points no. 145. One end of this crossover was inside the tunnel. When points 145 were "reversed", the no. 1 down main line could be reached from platforms 5, 6 or 7; when points 145 were "normal", this line was reached from platforms 8 to 17. The signal box controlling this was situated at the end of platforms 5 & 6.The track is level through platform 5; it then dips at 1 in 100 (1%) for 146 yards (133.5 m), to a point 51 yards (46.6 m) inside the tunnel, where the line passes beneath Regent's Canal
Regent's Canal
Regent's Canal is a canal across an area just north of central London, England. It provides a link from the Paddington arm of the Grand Union Canal, just north-west of Paddington Basin in the west, to the Limehouse Basin and the River Thames in east London....
; it then rises at a gradient of 1 in 105 (0.95%) through the tunnel for a total of 1.25 miles (2 km). Because of the gradient in the tunnel, it had been the practice since December 1943 for heavy trains to be assisted for the first 100 yards (91.4 m) by being pushed out by the locomotive which had hauled the empty coaches into the platform.
During the night and morning of 3–4 February 1945, the worn rails of no. 1 down main line had been replaced with new ones, as part of routine maintenance; this line had been in use since 12:45 on 4 February.
The train
On 4 February 1945, the 18:00 service from to Leeds was formed of 17 coaches behind locomotive no. 2512 Silver Fox.The locomotive, Class A4
LNER Class A4
The Class A4 is a class of streamlined 4-6-2 steam locomotive, designed by Nigel Gresley for the London and North Eastern Railway in 1935. Their streamlined design gave them high-speed capability as well as making them instantly recognizable, and one of the class, 4468 Mallard, still claims the...
4-6-2
4-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
no. 2512 Silver Fox, had been built in 1935. The rearmost coach was a Vestibuled Brake Composite, no. 1889, which had been built at Doncaster in 1941 as part of an order for ten (authorised in 1939 against order no. 999). The design, known as Diagram 314, used a steel underframe 60 feet (18.3 m) long, mounted on two bogies each having a wheelbase of 8 in 6 in (2.59 m), spaced at 43 feet (13.1 m) centres. The body was 61 in 6 in (18.75 m) long, 9 in 3 in (2.82 m) wide, and built largely of wood, principally teak. It consisted of two first-class compartments in the centre seating six each, flanked on one side by three third-class compartments also seating six each, and on the other side by a brake section for the guard. There was a side corridor, and unlike other pre-war designs of brake composite on the LNER, the external doors in the body sides were in vestibules close to the ends, instead of in the compartments; a feature which had been gradually introduced from 1930.
Events
The train left platform 5 at King's Cross station five minutes late, and entered Gasworks Tunnel. On this occasion, the train was not assisted out, because the coaches had been propelled, rather than hauled, into the platform, and so there was no locomotive at the rear. On the uphill gradient in the tunnel, the locomotive came to a stand, and then began to slide backwards; in the darkness, the driver did not notice that the train was no longer moving forwards. Meanwhile, the points (no. 145) had been altered ready for the next departure, which was to be from Platform 10. The coaches for this departure, the 19:00 Aberdonian service to , were already in the platform. The rear of the train collided with the front of the coaches in platform 10. In the collision, the rear coach rose in the air and collided with a signal gantry, which crushed one of the two first-class compartments in the middle of the coach, killing two passengers, one of whom was Cecil KimberCecil Kimber
Cecil Kimber was an automobile engineer, most famous for his role in being the driving force behind the MG car company.-Biography:He was born in London on 12 April 1888 to Henry Kimber, a printing engineer and his wife Fanny...
, who had controlled the MG car company
MG (car)
The MG Car Company is a former British sports car manufacturer founded in the 1920s by Cecil Kimber. Best known for its two-seat open sports cars, MG also produced saloons and coupés....
.
After the accident
The signal gantry, which was demolished in the collision, did not just carry signals, but also shunting discs and platform indicators. As an emergency measure, main line trains from platforms 6 to 17 inclusive were controlled using hand signals, as were movements to or from the locomotive yard, whilst suburban services terminated at .Coach no. 1889 was so severely damaged that it was written off. It had been scheduled to be renumbered 10153, but that number then remained blank.
Two weeks later, the signal gantry was replaced, but complete services were not restored until 23 February 1945.
The accident has variously been described as "somewhat bizarre" and "stupid".