Accident at Connington September 1961 or 1960?

[barry]

One does start to realise that at locations that incidents occur, especially if there has been a fatality or reoccuring unexplained incidents, there will be those who will add to the mystery with tales that are beyond the scope of normal objective investigation or explanation.
In contrast to Conington I worked at the Northern City line station Moorgate in the late 70s following the disaster of 26/02/1975. A subsurface station that has very little similarity to the fens around the area south of Peterborough/Conington. My training at Moorgate from my new colleagues included a warning not to venture to the country ends of the platforms on sunday nights, we had trains seven days a week then, if I saw a man crossing the passages. (I never did) I was told it was the ghost of motorman Newson from the train of the 75 disaster.
I remember at least 2 later operating incidents that were blamed on some supernatural effect from accident but the S&T managed to find a much more resonable, probable and plausible explanation.
One should also remember that signalboxes like Conington N were very often worked by a lone singalman. I can once remember aproaching this box tea can in hand and saw the signalman empty the boiling water from the kettle down the sink. I had already heard the ghost stories so when I entered the box the signalman was on the phone to Conington S to see if he had 1 accross and 9 down of the Daily Mirror crossword puzzle. This meant he had company for a small part of his lone 12 hour shift. 12 hours maybe because there was no RDR or GPR as they had either heard of or experienced the ghost.
Late news I am told that asbestos has been found at Conington tip which is alleged to have come from New Englad locos and an area cordened off pending removal. Anyone know anything more?

[Mickey]

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[barry]

Yes, I remember Ivor at WGC and Moorgate, grey cells working on remembering his surname, he was Chargeman WGC and Supervisor at Moorgate.
I left GN to go to Liverpool Street in the early eighties so lost touch of GN staff but will try and talk to some oldies from GN.

[Mickey]

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[hq1hitchin]

Late news I am told that asbestos has been found at Conington tip which is alleged to have come from New Englad locos and an area cordened off pending removal. Anyone know anything more?

All I can add to that, Barry, is being given the gratuitous information c 1974 by some old boy working in the tip that there weren't ANY bodies buried there! It seems that there were several block trains of debris worked to Conington immediately after the bad air raids on London c 1941. Why he thought I should have believed there were, I do not know.

[Andy W]

The civils also sent building rubble down to Connington and a fair few asbestos sheds and bits of asbestos cladding got buried there.

My family came from the Lincolnshire fens and I can vouch that it can play tricks on your eyes and ears but I have seen a few things that defy logic and I leave it at that. I don't doubt that the vast majority of the tales we hear about certain locations are made up and I've been at Moorgate at night on shut down to look at the pumps or the lights and I never saw or felt anything wierd.

However there are other locations (one just a bit further north of Moorgate) where people have definitely seen things which cannot be explained - it freaks some people out and others don't seem to be affected by them at all. Connington is one location where people who don't know the history have seen things and when it is explained to them they go very, very, quiet. I'm quite happy being in most of these so-called "spooked" areas but Connington is one location (there are others) I don't feel at all comfortable being in.

[Mickey]

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[manna]

G'Day Gents

I must be one of the thick ones, been through Connington hundreds of times, never seen a thing ! never run over a 'Fen Tiger' or any one in a 1938 Morris 8 at the level crossing

I always liked it at dawn and dusk when there was a light mist about three feet off the ground as the sun came up or went down, magical

Another good view was after coming through Abbots Ripon, on a down train, and on a clear day, being able to Peterborough.

manna

[Mickey]

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[strang steel]

The date was 07/09/1962 and the location of the accident was Offord, Thanks for pointing out to me that there has been a number of incidents at Connington over years.
There does not seem to be any information or formal investigation about this accident although there was four persons injured. I am sure there must be something although nothing is available on RA. The A1 involved was I now know as 60123 H A Ivatt which at 13 years old was withdrawn from service and scrapped due to the damage it recieved in the accident. Any other information would be much appreciated.

Hi Barry,

If you can get hold of a copy of "Odd Corners Of The Eastern" by Eric Sawford.

Almost at the back of the book are three b/w photos of the aftermath of the accident. Two are of the 45t New England crane lifting damaged vehicles and the third is of 60123's front end after the loco had been lifted back onto the track, showing the damage to the loco.