Welshampton rail crash
| Welshampton rail crash | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | 11 June 1897 |
| Location | Welshampton |
| Coordinates | 52°54′56″N 2°49′55″W / 52.9155°N 2.8320°W |
| Country | England |
| Line | Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway |
| Cause | Excessive speed/track condition |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Deaths | 12 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
The Welshampton rail crash was a fatal railway accident in the Welsh borders village of Welshampton on 11 June 1897. It resulted in the deaths of 12 people.
An excursion to Barmouth had been organised by the United Sunday Schools of Royton. A group of 320 passengers were on board a train of mixed Cambrian Railways (CR) and Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) stock of 15 carriages, pulled by two locomotives. Earlier in the day a CR guard had complained of the rough-riding of a small 4-wheeled L&YR brake van, which on the return journey was at the front of the train.
The train left Barmouth at 18:00. At about 22:20 one of the engines and 13 of the coaches left the rails of the CR's Oswestry, Ellesmere and Whitchurch Railway, 154 yards (141 m) east of Welshampton station. Nine passengers were killed in what was the first fatal accident on the line since it was built, two other passengers and a railway employee died later from injuries.
Although the initial investigation centered on the first carriage to leave the rails, an L&YR third-class brake coach, the enquiry concluded though that the speed of the train was too high considering the state of the track which had many sleepers in need of replacement, also too light a rail for high speed running. The CR disputed the findings and maintained that the L&Y vehicle was to blame
References
- Rolt, L.T.C.; Kichenside, Geoffrey (1982) [1955]. Red for Danger (4th ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 165–166. ISBN 0-7153-8362-0.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Shackleton, Frank (2011). "A Terrible Accident". Railway & Canal Historical Society (No 210): 23–33.
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External links
- Photograph from the National Railway Museum archives