Shrewsbury rail accident
Encyclopedia
The Shrewsbury rail accident occurred on 15 October 1907. An overnight sleeping-car and mail train from Manchester
to the West of England derailed
on the sharply curved approach to Shrewsbury
station, killing 18. Speed was estimated at 60 mph on a curve limited to 10. The train left Crewe at 01:20 having had extra carriages added (originating in Glasgow, York and Liverpool) to form a heavy 15 carriage train, hauled by LNWR Experiment class 4-6-0
No. 2052 Stephenson.
This was the last of three high-speed night derailments inside a year, the others being at Salisbury
and Grantham
(both in 1906). Although the results were the same, the causes appear to be different. The most likely explanation of the Shrewsbury crash was that the driver had dozed off briefly and therefore had not braked in time on the downhill entry to Shrewsbury, while the fireman evidently had not realised this until too late. Drowsiness is now known to particularly affect shift workers doing intermittent night work
.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
to the West of England derailed
Derailment
A derailment is an accident on a railway or tramway in which a rail vehicle, or part or all of a train, leaves the tracks on which it is travelling, with consequent damage and in many cases injury and/or death....
on the sharply curved approach to Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury railway station
Shrewsbury railway station is the railway station serving Shrewsbury, county town of Shropshire, England. It is the only remaining railway station in the town; Shrewsbury Abbey, as well as other small stations around the town, having long closed. The station was built in 1848 and has been extended...
station, killing 18. Speed was estimated at 60 mph on a curve limited to 10. The train left Crewe at 01:20 having had extra carriages added (originating in Glasgow, York and Liverpool) to form a heavy 15 carriage train, hauled by LNWR Experiment class 4-6-0
LNWR Whale Experiment Class
The London and North Western Railway Experiment Class of was a class of 4-6-0 steam locomotive designed by George Whale.They were an extended version of the Whale's Precursor Class 4-4-0, with slightly smaller driving wheels. The first of the class, 66 Experiment was built in 1905 and a total of...
No. 2052 Stephenson.
This was the last of three high-speed night derailments inside a year, the others being at Salisbury
Salisbury rail crash
In the Salisbury rail crash of 1 July 1906, a London and South Western Railway boat train from Plymouth's Friary railway station to London Waterloo station failed to navigate a very sharp curve at the eastern end of Salisbury railway station. The curve had a speed limit of 30 mph, but the express...
and Grantham
Grantham rail accident
The Grantham rail accident occurred on 19 September 1906. An evening sleeping-car and mail train from London Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley hauled by Ivatt 'Atlantic' No 276 derailed, killing 14...
(both in 1906). Although the results were the same, the causes appear to be different. The most likely explanation of the Shrewsbury crash was that the driver had dozed off briefly and therefore had not braked in time on the downhill entry to Shrewsbury, while the fireman evidently had not realised this until too late. Drowsiness is now known to particularly affect shift workers doing intermittent night work
Shift work sleep disorder
Shift work sleep disorder is a circadian rhythm sleep disorder characterized by insomnia and excessive sleepiness affecting people whose work hours are scheduled during the typical sleep period...
.