Knowle and Dorridge rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Knowle and Dorridge rail crash was a fatal rail crash that occurred at Dorridge railway station
in the West Midlands
, England
, on 15 August 1963. Three people died in the crash after a signalman's error routed a small freight train
into the path of an express passenger train which slowed but could not stop before colliding with it.
The express was a Birmingham Pullman
service travelling from Birmingham Snow Hill to London Paddington, having departed at 1pm. The freight train movement in Dorridge station (formerly called Knowle and Dorridge) was a routine shunting manouvre, one that often occurred both before or after the express train had passed through the station.
The Pullman was 9 coaches long, and was hauled by an 11 month old diesel hydraulic Class 52 "Western"
locomotive, No. 1040 Western Queen. The freight train was formed (from the London end) of a 20 ton hopper wagon
, a pannier tank steam locomotive, a 20 ton brake van
, an empty bogie flatcar
, and a bogie flatcar
loaded with Land Rover
vehicles.
The crash occurred in fine dry weather, at around 1.10 pm. The express was travelling at its normal speed of around 80 mph approaching the station when the driver noticed signals set to danger, but was only able on braking to reduce its speed to 20 mph, before colliding with the freight train travelling across its path towards the express. The locomotive struck the loaded flat car crushing the cab, but without derailing
. Two freight cars were derailed, with the rest pushed 64 yards down the track.
All four men on the freight train, the driver, fireman, shunter and guard, all managed to jump clear before the collision. The driver, co-driver and fireman on the express locomotive all died.
It was found that the signalman
at Knowle and Dorridge signal box
in the station had forgotten he had signalled the line was clear for the express train when allowing the freight train onto the line in the path of the express. On receiving a train approaching signal notfiying him of the approaching the express, he realised his mistake, but he was only able to alert the freight train by red flag and it could not be cleared in time to avoid the collision.
As a contributory factor to the crash, it was found that the signalman, in clearing the express, had disregarded a standing regulation known as Regulation 4A, governing the safe operation of signals in areas where the minimum stopping distance for trains was shorter than the distance between signals. He had cleared the line for the express train before receiving the required clearance from the following signal box.
Had he not done this, it was possible that the express train would have been travelling slow enough to stop when the signalman noticed his error. It was not clear however, whether the signalman had cleared the express before or after allowing the conflicting freight movement, meaning that this may have been moot if the express had been cleared before the freight train was permitted to cross, even if regulation 4A had been obeyed.
The express train was normally formed by a Blue Pullman multiple unit, an experimental type of new luxury train built for pullman services, but this regular train had to be taken out of service and replaced by the stand-by diesel hydraulic.
The driver killed in the accident was Ernest Morris, one of the first drivers to be certified on the Blue Pullman sets, and who had featured in the 1962 British Transport Film
"Lets Go To Birmingham" which was a driver's eye view of the Blue Pullman sets on a run from London Paddington to Birmingham Snow Hill.
The fireman killed was David Corkery who was only on the train to cover for the sickness of another fireman. David left a widow and two young children.
Dorridge railway station
Dorridge railway station serves the village of Dorridge in the West Midlands of England. The station is served by Chiltern Railways, who manage the station, and also by London Midland.-History:...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, on 15 August 1963. Three people died in the crash after a signalman's error routed a small freight train
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
into the path of an express passenger train which slowed but could not stop before colliding with it.
The express was a Birmingham Pullman
Pullman train (UK)
Pullman trains in Great Britain were mainline luxury railway services that operated with first-class coaches and a steward service, provided by the British Pullman Car Company.-Origins:...
service travelling from Birmingham Snow Hill to London Paddington, having departed at 1pm. The freight train movement in Dorridge station (formerly called Knowle and Dorridge) was a routine shunting manouvre, one that often occurred both before or after the express train had passed through the station.
The Pullman was 9 coaches long, and was hauled by an 11 month old diesel hydraulic Class 52 "Western"
British Rail Class 52
British Rail assigned Class 52 to the class of 74 large Type 4 diesel-hydraulic locomotives built for the Western Region of British Railways between 1961 and 1964...
locomotive, No. 1040 Western Queen. The freight train was formed (from the London end) of a 20 ton hopper wagon
Hopper car
A hopper car is a type of railroad freight car used to transport loose bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, track ballast, and the like. The name originated from the coke manufacturing industry which is part of the steel industry ....
, a pannier tank steam locomotive, a 20 ton 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...
, an empty bogie flatcar
Flatcar
A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...
, and a bogie flatcar
Flatcar
A flatcar is a piece of railroad or railway rolling stock that consists of an open, flat deck on four or six wheels or a pair of trucks or bogies . The deck of the car can be wood or steel, and the sides of the deck can include pockets for stakes or tie-down points to secure loads...
loaded with Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
vehicles.
The crash occurred in fine dry weather, at around 1.10 pm. The express was travelling at its normal speed of around 80 mph approaching the station when the driver noticed signals set to danger, but was only able on braking to reduce its speed to 20 mph, before colliding with the freight train travelling across its path towards the express. The locomotive struck the loaded flat car crushing the cab, but without derailing
Derailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
. Two freight cars were derailed, with the rest pushed 64 yards down the track.
All four men on the freight train, the driver, fireman, shunter and guard, all managed to jump clear before the collision. The driver, co-driver and fireman on the express locomotive all died.
It was found that the signalman
Signalman (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 :...
at Knowle and Dorridge signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
in the station had forgotten he had signalled the line was clear for the express train when allowing the freight train onto the line in the path of the express. On receiving a train approaching signal notfiying him of the approaching the express, he realised his mistake, but he was only able to alert the freight train by red flag and it could not be cleared in time to avoid the collision.
As a contributory factor to the crash, it was found that the signalman, in clearing the express, had disregarded a standing regulation known as Regulation 4A, governing the safe operation of signals in areas where the minimum stopping distance for trains was shorter than the distance between signals. He had cleared the line for the express train before receiving the required clearance from the following signal box.
Had he not done this, it was possible that the express train would have been travelling slow enough to stop when the signalman noticed his error. It was not clear however, whether the signalman had cleared the express before or after allowing the conflicting freight movement, meaning that this may have been moot if the express had been cleared before the freight train was permitted to cross, even if regulation 4A had been obeyed.
The express train was normally formed by a Blue Pullman multiple unit, an experimental type of new luxury train built for pullman services, but this regular train had to be taken out of service and replaced by the stand-by diesel hydraulic.
The driver killed in the accident was Ernest Morris, one of the first drivers to be certified on the Blue Pullman sets, and who had featured in the 1962 British Transport Film
British Transport Films
British Transport Films was an organisation set up in 1949 to make documentary films on the general subject of British transport. Its work included internal training films, travelogues , and "industrial films" promoting the progress of Britain's railway...
"Lets Go To Birmingham" which was a driver's eye view of the Blue Pullman sets on a run from London Paddington to Birmingham Snow Hill.
The fireman killed was David Corkery who was only on the train to cover for the sickness of another fireman. David left a widow and two young children.