The Singleton Bank rail crash occurred on 16 July 1961 near Weeton, Lancashire

Weeton, Lancashire

Weeton with Preese is a civil parish in the Borough of Fylde in Lancashire, England, beside the Blackpool to Preston railway line and the M55 motorway, just east of Blackpool and north west of Kirkham. It contains the village of Weeton....

, England. Seven were killed (the driver and six passengers) and 116 were injured.
The 8:50 diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...

 train from to collided with the rear of a ballast train at about 45 miles per hour (72.4 km/h). The latter had been working in the vicinity of Singleton Bank 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...

 and was about to leave to clear the section for the express.

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 Singleton misunderstood a telephone message which led him to make a serious error and accept the diesel train irregularly. The accident report also strongly criticised the local inspectors for allowing poor working practices.