Barnes rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Barnes rail crash occurred at Barnes railway station
late in the evening of 2 December 1955 in which 13 people were killed and 41 injured.
The 23:12 electric passenger train travelling from Waterloo to Windsor and collided with the rear of a LMS class 8 2-8-0
hauled freight train from to Brent
at about 35 mph. The wreckage from the passenger train short-circuited the third rail
and electrical arcing started a fire in the wooden coach frames; the leading coach of the passenger train was burnt out. The coaches were classified as 2-NOL
and were converted in the 1930s from old LSWR steam carriagesBritish Railway Disasters publ. Ian Allan, 1996.
The accident was caused by irregular operation of the block apparatus
by the signalman
at Barnes Junction. The signals were interlocked so that they could not be freed to show clear unless the block ahead was clear. A manual release key could be used to circumvent this interlocking if, for example, a broken mechanical link or track circuit gave a false indication of a train on the line. The signalman for Point Pleasant, the block behind Barnes, offered the passenger train forward improperly, without waiting for the "Train out of section" acknowledgement from Barnes. The Barnes signalman had forgotten about the freight train and used his release key to clear the signals.
A contributory factor was the failure of the circuit breaker
s supplying the traction current to the section to trip when the collision occurred - the subsequent arcing and fire caused most of the fatalities. The official report concluded that the current drawn by the short-circuit (approx 5700 A
) was only slightly higher than the trip current (5000 A), and the breakers failed to trip due to poor response speed and stiffness of operation.
Barnes railway station
Barnes railway station is in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, in south London, and is in Travelcard Zone 3. The station and all trains serving it are operated by South West Trains....
late in the evening of 2 December 1955 in which 13 people were killed and 41 injured.
The 23:12 electric passenger train travelling from Waterloo to Windsor and collided with the rear of a LMS class 8 2-8-0
LMS Stanier Class 8F
The London Midland and Scottish Railway's 8F class 2-8-0 heavy freight locomotive is a class of steam locomotive designed for hauling heavy freight...
hauled freight train from to Brent
Brent sidings
Brent sidings was an important marshalling yard and freight facility on the Midland Railway extension to London.-History:The sidings were situated on both sides of the Midland Main Line between and stations, close to the triangle formed where the Dudding Hill Line left the main line...
at about 35 mph. The wreckage from the passenger train short-circuited the third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
and electrical arcing started a fire in the wooden coach frames; the leading coach of the passenger train was burnt out. The coaches were classified as 2-NOL
SR Class 2Nol
The Southern Railway gave the designation 2-NOL to the electric multiple units built during the 1930s from old London and South Western Railway carriage bodies on new underframes...
and were converted in the 1930s from old LSWR steam carriagesBritish Railway Disasters publ. Ian Allan, 1996.
The accident was caused by irregular operation of the block apparatus
British absolute block signalling
The principle of the British absolute block system of railway signalling is to ensure the safe operation of a railway by allowing only one train to occupy a defined section of track at a time...
by the signalman
Signalman (rail)
A signalman or signaller is an employee of a railway transport network who operates the points and signals from a signal box in order to control the movement of trains.- History :...
at Barnes Junction. The signals were interlocked so that they could not be freed to show clear unless the block ahead was clear. A manual release key could be used to circumvent this interlocking if, for example, a broken mechanical link or track circuit gave a false indication of a train on the line. The signalman for Point Pleasant, the block behind Barnes, offered the passenger train forward improperly, without waiting for the "Train out of section" acknowledgement from Barnes. The Barnes signalman had forgotten about the freight train and used his release key to clear the signals.
A contributory factor was the failure of the circuit breaker
Circuit breaker
A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. Its basic function is to detect a fault condition and, by interrupting continuity, to immediately discontinue electrical flow...
s supplying the traction current to the section to trip when the collision occurred - the subsequent arcing and fire caused most of the fatalities. The official report concluded that the current drawn by the short-circuit (approx 5700 A
Ampere
The ampere , often shortened to amp, is the SI unit of electric current and is one of the seven SI base units. It is named after André-Marie Ampère , French mathematician and physicist, considered the father of electrodynamics...
) was only slightly higher than the trip current (5000 A), and the breakers failed to trip due to poor response speed and stiffness of operation.