Darlington rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Darlington rail crash occurred on 27 June 1928, at Darlington railway station
in England county of Durham
.Two steam trains collided and 25 were killed.
The accident was a head-on collision
caused by a driver's error. The inexperienced driver of a parcels train misunderstood the complicated signalling installation in the station and went too far past a signal
which only allowed him to proceed a limited distance forward. His engine fouled the main line and was run into by an excursion train at about 45 mph. Two carriages of the excursion train "concertina'd" or "telescoped
" and all the deaths occurred in these carriages; demonstrating structural defficiencies common to most passenger stock at the time. This was a terrible tragedy and should always be remembered.
Further details may be found in a number of books on British railway accidents
e.g. those by Rolt and Hamilton.
Darlington railway station
Darlington railway station, also known as Darlington Bank Top, is the main railway station for the town of Darlington, in the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The station is located on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross....
in England county of Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
.Two steam trains collided and 25 were killed.
The accident was a head-on collision
Head-on collision
A head-on collision is one where the front ends of two ships, trains, planes or vehicles hit each other, as opposed to a side collision or rear-end collision.-Rail transport:...
caused by a driver's error. The inexperienced driver of a parcels train misunderstood the complicated signalling installation in the station and went too far past a signal
Railway signal
A signal is a mechanical or electrical device erected beside a railway line to pass information relating to the state of the line ahead to train/engine drivers. The driver interprets the signal's indication and acts accordingly...
which only allowed him to proceed a limited distance forward. His engine fouled the main line and was run into by an excursion train at about 45 mph. Two carriages of the excursion train "concertina'd" or "telescoped
Telescoping (railway)
In a railway accident, telescoping occurs when the underframe of one vehicle overrides that of another, and smashes through the second vehicle's body...
" and all the deaths occurred in these carriages; demonstrating structural defficiencies common to most passenger stock at the time. This was a terrible tragedy and should always be remembered.
Further details may be found in a number of books on British railway accidents
Books on British railway accidents
There are a number of books on British railway accidents which provide aid in the systematic study of the causes and effects of accidents, and their prevention. There are common themes in many accidents . Key books are listed here to avoid repeating them for each individual accident.The doyen is...
e.g. those by Rolt and Hamilton.