long shot dept

[silverfox]

Can anyone recall an incident involving a Deltic on the 16.00 Edinburgh -Kings Cross in mid 1966
Apparently it hit a car driven by a US serviceman who survived. It seems this happened north of Peterborough as the train was stopped and examined by the guard and all seemed ok so it went forward to Peterborough where it was examined by the C+W who said all ok and it ran onto Kings Cross
I have looked for a RI report for around that time. Would such an incident back then be thought of being of little consequence as not to warrant a report?

[Hatfield Shed]

...Would such an incident back then be thought of being of little consequence as not to warrant a report?

Recorded, but little more. We are still more than ten years away from Peter Parker's appointment as BR chairman, and my recollection is that while holding that office he was asked 'And how many people are you planning to kill this year?'. That was the beginning of the current more rigorous approach to understanding where the safety deficiencies were.

This was still 'the old railway' which largely set its own standards. I remember very well Peter Townend's description of a night time freight collision at Hitchin in 1958, which his KX and Peterborough crews had cleared up. Two down empty mineral trains in collision, the wreckage of which an up fast freight ran into, resulting in that train also being comprehensively derailed, and the resulting wreckage from that train also knocking over an L1 running light engine on the down slow. The ECML blocked with wagon wreckage across the four running lines, three derailed locomotives, but fortunately no serious injuries to the train crews. Peter Townend considered this a 'minor incident'...

[silverfox]

Thanks

surprised me nothing official done esp as a US serviceman was involved

[Dave S]

I saw the thread title and immediately thought of The Pioneers'........showing my youth...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhAec0h4lds

[thesignalman]

...Would such an incident back then be thought of being of little consequence as not to warrant a report?

An internal report, yes, but if it was non-fatal (as stated) it wouldn't warrant any kind of public enquiry. And it must have been minor damage if the locomotive wasn't damaged, requiring a loco change.

John

[Mickey]

This was still 'the old railway' which largely set its own standards. I remember very well Peter Townend's description of a night time freight collision at Hitchin in 1958, which his KX and Peterborough crews had cleared up. Two down empty mineral trains in collision, the wreckage of which an up fast freight ran into, resulting in that train also being comprehensively derailed, and the resulting wreckage from that train also knocking over an L1 running light engine on the down slow. The ECML blocked with wagon wreckage across the four running lines, three derailed locomotives, but fortunately no serious injuries to the train crews. Peter Townend considered this a 'minor incident'...

I have seen the pictures of the aftermath of this 'pile up' near Hitchin South box and the pictures look like a major SMASH UP had happened!!. Signalman Roy Revell who passed away 6 or 7 years ago and whose son came on this forum to announce his father's death was at Stevenage North box on the night of this collision. Nowadays that collision would be national news although back in 1958 I presume it may have only received a brief mention in the local Hitchin weekly newspaper.