Clapham rail crash 12th December 1988

[Trestrol]

Just a reminder that today is the 28th anniversary of the Clapham rail crash. A needless accident the killed 35 people. Had a profound effect on working practices on Britains railways.

[Mickey]

I was on a early turn at Camden Road box on the North London line the morning of the Clapham crash back in December 1988 and I was also at the same box on a late turn during the afternoon of the 9/11 attacks in the USA in 2001.

Yes the 'Hidden report' into the Clapham crash did change a number of long standing working practices on the railways especially in regards to the continuous amount of shifts and overtime a person could work before having to have a day or night shift off duty.

Mickey

[1H was 2E]

I remember, and am still irritated by, the TV news (can't remember which station) wheeling out one of those "Railway Experts" who said quite unequivocally that it must be driver error, because signalling is foolproof.
Hoped that the driver's widow didn't hear that.
Sadly, we still have those "xxx experts" wheeled out after disasters; the aviation one being expert at saying, slowly and with complete authority, the blindingly obvious...

[Mickey]

I was on a early turn at Camden Road box on the North London line the morning of the Clapham crash back in December 1988 and I was also at the same box on a late turn during the afternoon of the 9/11 attacks in the USA in 2001.

Thinking about the above again I was also at Camden Road box on the evening of the 'Kings Cross fire' back in November 1987 (3 disasters in a row) I can still remember about 10 or 12 ambulances with blue lights flashing and sirens screaming roaring along behind each other tearing up Camden street down in the street below the box heading up towards Kings Cross that evening, a sobering sight indeed!!.

With regards to the Clapham crash I recall that the train that ploughed into the rear of the standing train (the standing train was standing just off of a slight curve out of visual sight to the driver of the second train that ran into it until the last few seconds before impact) also had 2 other drivers in the cab with him who were riding up to Waterloo before starting there diagrams obviously all 3 driver's were killed.

Also I was watching a dvd (today) of the G.W.R. 175th Anniversary celebrations filmed in 2010 and amongst the people participating and talking about his time on the Western Region of B.R was a fella named David Maidment who eventually rose up the management laddaer to a fairly high position within British Rail Western Region (he also later served time on the London Midland Region in a high management as well) anyway during the course of his interview he mentioned that he had been given the task to collect and gather information regarding the Clapham crash in 1988 and to submit it to the 'Hidden enquiry' which ultimately went along way in changing the culture and risk management within British Rail.

Mickey