Winwick rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Winwick rail crash took place at Winwick Junction, near Warrington
on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
, on 28 September 1934.
on duty was ultimately responsible for the collision, there were several contributing factors. The layout of the section was complex, with four running lines and a junction
between the main Warrington-Preston line and the Warrington-Earlestown branch line
. Both these two lines carried heavy rail traffic. There was so much traffic in fact, that the signalman had a booking lad with him in the signal box
. The booking lad's function was to keep the train
register and use it to remind the signalman of the position of trains within the section at any time.
, by which he was to remind the signalman of the train's presence and ensure that it was protected.
Before Hayes could reach the signal box, the signalman at Winwick Quay to the south rang Call attention for an express train from Euston
to Blackpool
. As the local train had passed out of his section only a short time before, he expected to receive the reply, Track occupied from Bloor at Winwick Junction, and then intended to follow with the call for Shunt engine for following train to pass, i.e. he expected Bloor to switch the local train temporarily to another running line and halt it while the express passed. However, Bloor forgot that the local train was standing at his signals, and thought that he had failed to clear his block instruments after a preceding train. He gave the reply, Train out of section and cleared his signals.
The booking lad (E. Derbyshire), whose sole purpose was to alert him to the position of the train, failed to do so. He too had been distracted by a telephone call about a weekly timetable change, and on hearing Bloor exclaim "Good Heavens! I haven't given the 2-1 [i.e. the train out of section call] here yet", he assumed that he himself had missed the passage of the local train. Instead of prompting Bloor that the train register entries for the local train were incomplete, which might have alerted Bloor in time to avert the collision, he used guesswork to fill in the register, indicating the local train was out of the section.
When the Winwick Junction home signals cleared, Driver Hope of the local began moving forward slowly to pick up the fireman, but was struck by the express, drawn by LNWR Prince of Wales Class
No. 25648, running at high speed. Even though the coaches of the local train were modern steel rolling stock
, three of them were badly telescoped
. The guard and five passengers in the local train, and three passengers in the express train were killed. Two passengers (it is not known from which train) later died in hospital.
which would have alerted the signalman that the track was occupied and prevented him accepting the express, was also a factor. The Inspecting Officer's report recommended that track circuits be installed at the junction.
collided with a goods train after failing to stop at a semaphore signal which, although "on", had jammed at approximately 17° to the horizontal. There were no fatalities or serious injuries. The official inquiry concluded that routine maintenance of the signal had been inadequate, and the signalman was at fault for not checking that the signal had properly returned to "Danger" when the lever was replaced. A similar accident, with much more serious consequences, occurred at Invergowrie in 1979.
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
, on 28 September 1934.
Background
Although the signalmanSignalman (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 :...
on duty was ultimately responsible for the collision, there were several contributing factors. The layout of the section was complex, with four running lines and a junction
Junction (rail)
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
between the main Warrington-Preston line and the Warrington-Earlestown branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
. Both these two lines carried heavy rail traffic. There was so much traffic in fact, that the signalman had a booking lad with him in the 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...
. The booking lad's function was to keep the train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
register and use it to remind the signalman of the position of trains within the section at any time.
Sequence of events
Shortly after nine o'clock at night, a local train from Warrington, destined for Wigan and drawn by 2-4-2 tank engine No. 6632, entered the section. It was due to be turned off onto the Earlestown branch line, but Signalman Bloor at the Winwick Junction signal box was already busy with no less than seven other trains, and probably engaged on the telephone to Warrington, discussing a necessary change to the running order to cater for an express freight train carrying perishable goods (fish). The local train therefore came to a halt at the Winwick Junction home signals, and Fireman Hayes left the train to walk to the signal box 172 yards (157.3 m) away to carry out Rule 55Rule 55
Rule 55 was an operating rule which applied on the former British Railways in the 19th century, and was made defunct when the was introduced following privatisation of the railway.- Overview :...
, by which he was to remind the signalman of the train's presence and ensure that it was protected.
Before Hayes could reach the signal box, the signalman at Winwick Quay to the south rang Call attention for an express train from Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
to Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
. As the local train had passed out of his section only a short time before, he expected to receive the reply, Track occupied from Bloor at Winwick Junction, and then intended to follow with the call for Shunt engine for following train to pass, i.e. he expected Bloor to switch the local train temporarily to another running line and halt it while the express passed. However, Bloor forgot that the local train was standing at his signals, and thought that he had failed to clear his block instruments after a preceding train. He gave the reply, Train out of section and cleared his signals.
The booking lad (E. Derbyshire), whose sole purpose was to alert him to the position of the train, failed to do so. He too had been distracted by a telephone call about a weekly timetable change, and on hearing Bloor exclaim "Good Heavens! I haven't given the 2-1 [i.e. the train out of section call] here yet", he assumed that he himself had missed the passage of the local train. Instead of prompting Bloor that the train register entries for the local train were incomplete, which might have alerted Bloor in time to avert the collision, he used guesswork to fill in the register, indicating the local train was out of the section.
When the Winwick Junction home signals cleared, Driver Hope of the local began moving forward slowly to pick up the fireman, but was struck by the express, drawn by LNWR Prince of Wales Class
LNWR Prince of Wales Class
The London and North Western Railway Prince of Wales Class was a class of express passenger passenger locomotive. It was in effect, a superheated version of the Experiment Class 4-6-0.They were introduced in 1911 by Charles Bowen-Cooke...
No. 25648, running at high speed. Even though the coaches of the local train were modern steel rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
, three of them were badly telescoped
Telescoping (railway)
In a railway accident, telescoping occurs when the underframe of one vehicle overrides that of another, and smashes through the second vehicle's body...
. The guard and five passengers in the local train, and three passengers in the express train were killed. Two passengers (it is not known from which train) later died in hospital.
Aftermath
Signalman Bloor readily admitted his responsibility, but the booking lad's assumption about train movement led the Inspector to recommend that booking lads should be made more aware that entries other than from personal knowledge should be verified with the signalman. The lack of a telephone at the signal post, or a track circuitTrack circuit
A track circuit is a simple electrical device used to detect the absence of a train on rail tracks, used to inform signallers and control relevant signals.- Principles and operation :...
which would have alerted the signalman that the track was occupied and prevented him accepting the express, was also a factor. The Inspecting Officer's report recommended that track circuits be installed at the junction.
1967 Accident
Another accident occurred at Winwick Junction in 1967. A passenger DMUDiesel 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:...
collided with a goods train after failing to stop at a semaphore signal which, although "on", had jammed at approximately 17° to the horizontal. There were no fatalities or serious injuries. The official inquiry concluded that routine maintenance of the signal had been inadequate, and the signalman was at fault for not checking that the signal had properly returned to "Danger" when the lever was replaced. A similar accident, with much more serious consequences, occurred at Invergowrie in 1979.
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