Winchburgh rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Winchburgh rail crash occurred on Monday 13 October 1862, a mile and a half northwest of Winchburgh
in Linlithgowshire (now West Lothian
). At that point, the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
passes through a cutting on a curve. On the day of the accident, only one line was in use due to track maintenance when two trains met head-on. The drivers saw each other when they were some 300 yards apart and managed so that their relative speed was down to under 30 mph when they collided. The driver of the Glasgow train leapt clear prior to the impact and survived though badly injured, but both firemen and the driver of the other train along with 15 passengers were killed and 35 injured. One of the passengers made their way to a local house and commandeered a horse and cart to drive over 4 miles to Linlithgow
, raise the alarm and summon doctors to the scene. A special train arrived from Edinburgh
bringing workmen who laboured all night to free the dead and injured, and then to clear the wreckage; indeed the line was back in use the following day.
It transpires that in order to prevent such collisions the line was being worked by a pilot engine to escort every train through the length of single track. However the pilot engine was being used for other duties and had waggons attached to it; moreover the distinctive small engine had been substituted for a larger one. The inexperienced pointsman saw a ballast train following the train from Glasgow
and wrongly assumed it to be the pilot engine and so let the train through; just as the Edinburgh train was approaching from the east.
Winchburgh
Winchburgh is a village situated within the geographical county of West Lothian, Scotland. It is located approximately west of the city-centre of Edinburgh, east of Linlithgow and northeast of Broxburn.-Public transport:...
in Linlithgowshire (now West Lothian
West Lothian
West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....
). At that point, the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway
The Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was a railway built to link Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Act of Parliament for building the railway received its Royal Assent in 1838 which was open on 28 July 1863. Services started between Glasgow Queen Street and Haymarket on 21 February 1842. The line was...
passes through a cutting on a curve. On the day of the accident, only one line was in use due to track maintenance when two trains met head-on. The drivers saw each other when they were some 300 yards apart and managed so that their relative speed was down to under 30 mph when they collided. The driver of the Glasgow train leapt clear prior to the impact and survived though badly injured, but both firemen and the driver of the other train along with 15 passengers were killed and 35 injured. One of the passengers made their way to a local house and commandeered a horse and cart to drive over 4 miles to Linlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
, raise the alarm and summon doctors to the scene. A special train arrived from Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
bringing workmen who laboured all night to free the dead and injured, and then to clear the wreckage; indeed the line was back in use the following day.
It transpires that in order to prevent such collisions the line was being worked by a pilot engine to escort every train through the length of single track. However the pilot engine was being used for other duties and had waggons attached to it; moreover the distinctive small engine had been substituted for a larger one. The inexperienced pointsman saw a ballast train following the train from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and wrongly assumed it to be the pilot engine and so let the train through; just as the Edinburgh train was approaching from the east.
Sources
- Winchburgh Railway Disaster 1862 published 2006 by The West Lothian Local History Library which quotes from The ScotsmanThe ScotsmanThe Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
and The Falkirk Herald