Milton rail crash

Milton rail crash
Milton rail crash
Date and time Sunday 20 November 1955
Location Milton
Rail line Great Western Main Line
Cause signalling error
Trains 1
Deaths 11
Injuries 157
List of UK rail accidents by year

In the Milton rail crash a passenger train took a crossover too fast and derailed. 11 were killed, and 157 were injured.

Contents

Overview

The crash occurred at about 13:15 on Sunday 20 November 1955, at Milton, between Steventon and Didcot on the line from Swindon on the Western Region of British Railways. The train involved was the 08:30 excursion train from Treherbert, South Wales, to Paddington station, consisting of ten coaches hauled by Britannia Pacific no. 70026 Polar Star. The train failed to slow down for a low speed crossover.

The engine and several carriages rolled down an embankment, which exacerbated the severity of the accident.

Contributing factors

The signals were on the right hand side of the track, but the driving position on the engine was on the left hand side, which hampered visibility.

There was a berth track circuit approaching the crossover but it was much longer than the train, making it hard for the signalman to estimate the speed of the train.

Aftermath

The signals were later modified to prevent a driver seeing a proceed signal for the crossover too soon. This is known as Approach Release.

Handrails on the smoke deflectors also obscured the drivers' view, and these were later removed and replaced with hand holds on all the "Britannia" class locomotives which ran on the Western Region.

See also

  • Lists of rail accidents

References

Coordinates: 51°37′13″N 1°17′28″W / 51.62028°N 1.29119°W / 51.62028; -1.29119

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