Shipton-on-Cherwell train crash
Encyclopedia
The Shipton-on-Cherwell train crash was a major disaster which occurred on the Great Western Railway
. It involved the derailment of a long passenger train at Shipton-on-Cherwell
near Kidlington
, Oxfordshire
, England
, on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1874, and was one of the worst ever disasters on the Great Western Railway
. The investigation was led by William Yolland
of the Railway Inspectorate, and he chaired the subsequent public enquiry of the Board of Trade
. It highlighted several safety problems, including wheel design, braking and communications along trains. The accident came in a decade which saw many terrible accidents on the rail network, and culminated in the Tay Rail Bridge disaster of 1879.
. There were 34 deaths and 69 seriously injured in the carriages which fell from the bridge over the canal.
, although it was not recognised as such by the inquiry. The weather was very cold that day, with snow blanketing the fields and very low freezing temperatures, another factor which hastened the tyre failure. The disaster led to a reappraisal of braking methods and systems, and eventual adoption of continuous automatic brakes being fitted to trains, based either on the Westinghouse air brake or a vacuum brake
. The Railway Inspectorate recommended Mansell wheels, a type of wooden composite wheel, be adopted by the railway companies since the design had a better safety record than the alternatives. There had been a long history of failed wheels involved in serious accidents, especially in the previous decade. The problems of broken wheels was not resolved until cast steel mononbloc wheels were introduced. The Inpectorate were also critical of the communication method between the locomotive and the rest of the train using an external cord and gong, suggesting that a telegraphic method be adopted instead.
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. It involved the derailment of a long passenger train at Shipton-on-Cherwell
Shipton-on-Cherwell
Shipton-on-Cherwell is a village on the River Cherwell north of Kidlington in Oxfordshire, England. The village is part of the civil parish of Shipton-on-Cherwell and Thrupp.-Manor:...
near Kidlington
Kidlington
Kidlington is a large village and civil parish between the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal, north of Oxford and southwest of Bicester.-History:...
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, 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 Christmas Eve, 24 December 1874, and was one of the worst ever disasters on the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
. The investigation was led by William Yolland
William Yolland
William Yolland CB, FRS was an English military surveyor, astronomer and engineer, and was Britain’s Chief Inspector of Railways from 1877 until his death...
of the Railway Inspectorate, and he chaired the subsequent public enquiry of the Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
. It highlighted several safety problems, including wheel design, braking and communications along trains. The accident came in a decade which saw many terrible accidents on the rail network, and culminated in the Tay Rail Bridge disaster of 1879.
Causes
The basic cause was established as a broken tyre on the carriage just behind the locomotive, but that failure was worsened by the poor braking system fitted to the train. When a passenger warned the driver of the problem, by waving from the carriage window, it was still being pulled along intact along the rails. However, the driver braked immediately, before the brake at the rear of the train in the guards van could be applied. The engine brake caused the failed carriage to be squashed, and the carriages behind derailed near the Oxford CanalOxford Canal
The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Coventry via Banbury and Rugby. It connects with the River Thames at Oxford, to the Grand Union Canal at the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, and to the Coventry Canal at Hawkesbury Junction in Bedworth just...
. There were 34 deaths and 69 seriously injured in the carriages which fell from the bridge over the canal.
Investigation
The investigation which followed established the root causes very quickly. The tyre was on an old carriage, and was of an obsolete design. The fracture started at a rivet hole, possibly by metal fatigueMetal Fatigue
Metal Fatigue , is a futuristic science fiction, real-time strategy computer game developed by Zono Incorporated and published by Psygnosis and TalonSoft .-Plot:...
, although it was not recognised as such by the inquiry. The weather was very cold that day, with snow blanketing the fields and very low freezing temperatures, another factor which hastened the tyre failure. The disaster led to a reappraisal of braking methods and systems, and eventual adoption of continuous automatic brakes being fitted to trains, based either on the Westinghouse air brake or a vacuum brake
Vacuum brake
The vacuum brake is a braking system employed on trains and introduced in the mid-1860s. A variant, the automatic vacuum brake system, became almost universal in British train equipment and in those countries influenced by British practice. Vacuum brakes also enjoyed a brief period of adoption in...
. The Railway Inspectorate recommended Mansell wheels, a type of wooden composite wheel, be adopted by the railway companies since the design had a better safety record than the alternatives. There had been a long history of failed wheels involved in serious accidents, especially in the previous decade. The problems of broken wheels was not resolved until cast steel mononbloc wheels were introduced. The Inpectorate were also critical of the communication method between the locomotive and the rest of the train using an external cord and gong, suggesting that a telegraphic method be adopted instead.
See also
- Cherwell Valley LineCherwell Valley LineThe Cherwell Valley Line is the railway line between Didcot and Banbury via Oxford. It links the Great Western Main Line and the south to the Chiltern Main Line and the Midlands...
- List of rail accidents in the United Kingdom
- Lytham rail crashLytham rail crashThe derailment of a passenger train at Lytham, Lancashire, England occurred when the front tyre of the locomotive fractured and led to the loss of 14 lives. The accident happened on 3 November 1924 to the 4.40 pm Liverpool express travelling to Blackpool at 5.46 pm...
External links
- http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=46&PHPSESSID=6a3f8d82df26a7e7b93812055ff97a3f Railways Archive description, including the Board of Trade Official Report on the GWR accident at Shipton-on-Cherwell (April, 1875)]
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