Bourne End rail crash

Bourne End rail crash

infobox UK rail accident


title= Bourne End rail crash
date= 30 September 1945
location= Bourne End turnout, near Hemel Hempstead
line = West Coast Main Line
(BR London Midland)
cause= Excessive speed on turnout
trains= 1
pax=
deaths= 43
injuries= The Bourne End rail crash occurred on 30 September 1945.

Overview

An overnight sleeping-car express train from Scotland to London Euston derailed due to a driver's error which left 43 people were killed, making it Britain's joint seventh worst rail disaster in terms of death toll.

The train was scheduled to divert from the fast to the slow lines at Bourne End, Hertfordshire, near Hemel Hempstead, because of engineering work in Watford tunnel. However, the driver failed to respond to the signals in advance of the diversion and took the 15mph restricted turnout at nearly 60 mph. The engine and the first six carriages overturned and fell down an embankment into a field.

The morning was fine and sunny, and the driver was highly experienced with a particular reputation for being conscientious. However, due to post war staff shortages, he had worked 26 days continuously and as a result of this it seems likely that he had either dozed off momentarily or gone into "autopilot" through fatigue. Although not fitted to this stretch of track at the time it is probable that the Automatic Warning System would have prevented the disaster.

The alarm was also raised by a pilot who had just taken off from Bovingdon Aerodrome and who had observed the accident during takeoff and notified the railway authorities via the Bovingdon Control tower. Airfield staff also helped significantly with assistance after the crash (Hamilton, 1967).

A similar accident occurred two years later at Goswick, Northumberland.

Similar accidents

* Milton rail crash - overspeed through turnout
* Bourne End rail crash - overspeed through turnout
* Goswick rail crash - overspeed through turnout
* Brühl train disaster - overspeed through turnout
* Jokela rail crash‎ - overspeed through turnout
* Jyväskylä rail crash - overspeed through turnout

* Waterfall rail accident - overspeed through sharp curve

See also

* List of rail accidents
* List of British rail accidents

References

*
*
* [http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=106 Railways Archive account, including official Accident Report]


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