Quintinshill 22nd May 1915

[Mickey]

The worse railway accident in the United Kingdom happened on this day 97 years ago this morning at Quintinshill on the Caledonian Railways main line just north of the Scottish border near Gretna where at around 6:30am a double-headed Larbert to Liverpool 'troop train' run head-on into a stationary local passenger train that had been shunted over from the down main line to the up main line in broad day light outside Quintinshill s/box to clear the down main line for a down express to pass. Shortly after this first accident occurring the wreckage was then run into by a double-headed overnight Euston to Glasgow express that was running late but was making up time killing around 227 and injuring around 245 others all on a clear bright morning in May.

Most of the dead and injured were Scottish soldier's on there way to fight on the western front although a number of railwaymen and passenger's were also killed as well.

The primary cause of the accident was signalman's error although there was several other contributing causes to the accident as well.

A scottish signalman once told me back in the 1980s that he had worked Quintinshill s/box at sometime back in the 1970s and claimed in all seriousness that on some nights there could be heard on the wind the sound of the bagpipes playing not very far from the s/box but wot made it all the more unnerving was that the s/box was located miles from anywhere amongst open farm land?.

* * *There was a very interesting book published about this accident back around 1971 or 72 which i believe has been long since out of print?.* * *

[Rlangham]

Horrific accident - I was looking at the NER's accident at St Bedes Junction in 1915 recently where it was believed one or two of the nineteen fatalities were caused by fire after the initial crash caused by the gas escaping from the lighting system of the carriages - awful way to die. There is an interesting interview with a survivor of the crash here;

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/ma ... ansport.uk

Men being mown down by the express train after the first crash, 4 unidentified and unclaimed children killed, possibly stowaways, an Officer shooting men trapped in the burning wreckage, all absolutely horrific.

I can't find many clear images of the disaster, but this small one shows what looks like an NBR Glen class clear of the rails, unfortunately can't read the description though

http://www.devilsporridge.co.uk/communi ... 42_pre.jpg

[Mickey]

Watch his on Quintinshill from 1972 -

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxpBzGCKAOw

[52D]

http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docume ... in1915.pdf
Micky et al accident report above, i posted a poem found in my grandmothers pocket book about the crash earlier but cant find the link. Her Husband was in the Royal Scots and later the ROD albeit in a different Battalion to that involved in the crash. He would have been 117 if he was still alive.

Were all the locos involved Caledonian?

[Mickey]

Were all the locos involved Caledonian?.

No they wern't.

[Rlangham]

Were all the locos involved Caledonian?

I reckon this is a North British Railway 'Glen' class 4-4-0 like 'Glen Douglas' preserved at the Riverside Museum;

http://www.dgttl.co.uk/index.php?a=show ... t9&pg=6458

That's the only clear view of a locomotive involved I can find though - can't find any information either

[Mickey]

There was a book on the accident published by a author called John Thomas back in 1972 i bought a hard back copy myself at the time it came out.

[Rlangham]

Looking at the image I posted and lack of cab window, it could be one of these - apart from cab, looks identical to a Glen class to me. My knowledge of Scottish locos is pretty much non-existent, but seeming as the NBR Y9 and Caledonian Tank 0-4-0ST were identical, could be the same case with these?

http://www.memoryprints.com/image/43119 ... ks-srx-178

[Solario]

The locos involved were a Cardean 4-6-0 no 907 (written off), 2 McIntosh "Superheater" 4-4-0s numbers 48 & 121 (121 scrapped) and a Dunalastair IV 4-4-0 number 140, all Caledonian.

There were similarities between some Scottish 4-4-0s partially because Dugald Drummond had moved from the North British to the Caledonian in 1882 and I guess certain cosmetic features were perpetuated.

Incidentally, (putting my pedants hat firmly on) the book Red for Danger was by LTC Rolt, not OS Nock as mentioned earlier.

[Mickey]

The accident is also mentioned in a chapter in a book called Twentieth Century Railway Accidents by C.Hamlton Ellis first published in 1966.

[Solario]

LTC ROLT a man better known by canal enthusiast's everywhere for his book NARROW BOAT that virtually "kick started" the whole canal restoration movement in the UK during the 1950s, 60s & 70s.

Well pointed out, Mickey. Rolt is not a name that well known these days but not only the canal people but us railway enthusiasts owe him a big debt of gratitude because he was one of the original saviours of the Tallyllyn railway, the very first in railway preservation. He was the first General Manager of the newly preserved line.

He has writen several books (all worth reading); his Railway Adventure tell the story of the Tallyllyn rescue.

[brsince78]

For those seeking a copy of the book written about the disaster the details are as follows:-

Gretna Britain's Worst Railway Disaster
Author: John Thomas
Publisher: David & Charles
Date: 1969
ISBN 0-7153-4645-8

A recommended read

[Mickey]

Yes thats the book brinsce78.

[brsince78]

Hey good one brsince, is this book still available after all these years?. I originally bought the hard-back copy version of it back around 1971 or 72 which i lost sometime during the 1970s.

Micky
Not seen one in any book shop I've browsed in for many years. I *think* I bought mine at a David & Charles sale at their premises in Newton Abbot in the late 70's.

[Mickey]

A scottish signalman who worked around the North London line back in the mid/late 1980s and apparently worked Quintinshill probably in the early 1970s told me that on a quiet night at the box you could sometimes catch the sound of bagpipes on the wind bearing in mind that the nearest farmhouse was maybe a mile or two away across the open fields?.

Apparently Quintinshill box was a bit of a spooky place to be on your own after dark by all accounts??.