Sevenoaks railway accident
Encyclopedia
The Sevenoaks railway accident occurred on 24 August 1927 between Dunton Green railway station
and Sevenoaks railway station
. The Southern Railway
's afternoon express from Cannon Street
to Deal
left London at 5pm, in charge of River Class tank engine No 800 River Cray
. Several passengers later recounted that from time to time the train seemed to roll excessively on fast curves. As it passed through Pollhill
Tunnel at 60 mph the rocking became violent and the train derailed past Dunton Green railway station
. Unfortunately, at this point on the line, the line is in a cutting which is spanned by a bridge carrying Shoreham Lane, which the cab of the locomotive struck, turning it on its side across the cutting. The leading coaches piled up against it, killing 13 and injuring many more (railway engineer Archibald Jack
survived).
John Wallace Pringle
, Chief Inspecting Officer of Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate
conducted the inquiry in person.
After news of the accident, the Southern Railway withdrew all 21 'River' class tank engines, which caused a public sensation at the time. Other drivers testified to the instability of the class and it emerged that a previous example had derailed at speed (though miraculously re-railed itself). The engines' high centre of gravity, hard springing and tendency for the water in the side tanks to surge all caused the engines to roll dangerously at speed, so much so that in this case the nearside wheels had lifted.
Trials carried out after the accident showed that the design behaved well on the Great Northern
main line out of King's Cross
running at 85 mph, showing that indifferent permanent way was partly responsible; however, before the results of the trials had been published, all 20 engines had been rebuilt to form the first SR U class 2-6-0 tender engine design in 1928.
Dunton Green railway station
Dunton Green railway station serves the village of Dunton Green, on the outskirts of Sevenoaks in Kent. Train services are provided by Southeastern.There is no ticket office or ticket machine. There is a Permit to Travel machine...
and Sevenoaks railway station
Sevenoaks railway station
Sevenoaks railway station serves the town of Sevenoaks in Kent. Train services are provided by Southeastern.Trains from the station run northbound to London Bridge, Cannon Street , Waterloo East and London Charing Cross via Orpington, to London Blackfriars via Swanley and Catford, and southbound to...
. The Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
's afternoon express from Cannon Street
Cannon Street station
Cannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and London Underground complex in the City of London, England. It is built on the site of the medieval Steelyard, the trading base in England of the Hanseatic League...
to Deal
Deal, Kent
Deal is a town in Kent England. It lies on the English Channel eight miles north-east of Dover and eight miles south of Ramsgate. It is a former fishing, mining and garrison town...
left London at 5pm, in charge of River Class tank engine No 800 River Cray
River Cray
The River Cray is a tributary of the River Darent in southern England. It rises in Priory Gardens in Orpington in the London Borough of Bromley, where rainwater permeates the chalk bedrock and forms a pond at the boundary between the chalk and impermeable clay...
. Several passengers later recounted that from time to time the train seemed to roll excessively on fast curves. As it passed through Pollhill
Pollhill
Pollhill is a hamlet near Harrietsham near the town of Maidstone in Kent, England....
Tunnel at 60 mph the rocking became violent and the train derailed past Dunton Green railway station
Dunton Green railway station
Dunton Green railway station serves the village of Dunton Green, on the outskirts of Sevenoaks in Kent. Train services are provided by Southeastern.There is no ticket office or ticket machine. There is a Permit to Travel machine...
. Unfortunately, at this point on the line, the line is in a cutting which is spanned by a bridge carrying Shoreham Lane, which the cab of the locomotive struck, turning it on its side across the cutting. The leading coaches piled up against it, killing 13 and injuring many more (railway engineer Archibald Jack
Archibald Jack
Brigadier-General Archibald Jack CB CMG CBE was a New Zealand-born railway engineer and British Army officer.Jack was educated at Otago Boys' High School and began his career in the New Zealand Department of Public Works in 1893. He was commissioned into the 9th Battalion, New Zealand Regiment on...
survived).
John Wallace Pringle
John Wallace Pringle
Colonel Sir John Wallace Pringle was Chief Inspecting Officer of the Railways Inspectorate of the Ministry of Transport from 1916 to 1929...
, Chief Inspecting Officer of Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate
Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate
Established in 1840, HM Railway Inspectorate was the British organisation responsible for overseeing safety on Britain's railways and tramways...
conducted the inquiry in person.
After news of the accident, the Southern Railway withdrew all 21 'River' class tank engines, which caused a public sensation at the time. Other drivers testified to the instability of the class and it emerged that a previous example had derailed at speed (though miraculously re-railed itself). The engines' high centre of gravity, hard springing and tendency for the water in the side tanks to surge all caused the engines to roll dangerously at speed, so much so that in this case the nearside wheels had lifted.
Trials carried out after the accident showed that the design behaved well on the Great Northern
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
main line out of King's Cross
King's Cross station
King's Cross station may refer to::* London King's Cross railway station in London, England** King's Cross St. Pancras tube station for London Underground lines.** King's Cross Thameslink, a disused railway station in London, England...
running at 85 mph, showing that indifferent permanent way was partly responsible; however, before the results of the trials had been published, all 20 engines had been rebuilt to form the first SR U class 2-6-0 tender engine design in 1928.