Wrawby Junction rail crash
Encyclopedia
The Wrawby Junction rail crash was a train crash which occurred on 9 December 1983, at Wrawby Junction
, near Barnetby station
in North Lincolnshire
, England
.
It happened when a freight train collided at low speed with the side of a local passenger train. The first carriage of the passenger train was derailed and turned over onto its side, and one passenger was killed instantly. In the subsequent inquiry, the accident was deemed to have been caused by a signalman failing to secure a set of points
that he had operated manually after an equipment failure.
had changed a set of points (No.89) to send a freight train into a siding, when he noticed a failure of a track circuit
, which prevented him from re-setting the points to their normal position (and also meant that the signal
closest to the signal box was stuck at "danger"). He thus made the decision that he and another railwayman would walk to the points and move them to the normal position manually, which they did. Upon returning to the signal box, he noticed that the indicator for No.89 points appeared to be malfunctioning - normally it would show the points set to one position or the other, but the lights that showed which position the points were set to were both extinguished.
Meanwhile, the 15.02 freight train from Drax power station to Lindsey oil terminal
, composed of Class 47 diesel locomotive
No.47299 and nine empty 100-ton oil wagons, had drawn up to the signal which was stuck at danger, and received a green hand-signal from the signal box. At this point, the driver of the freight train should have drawn up to the signal box to receive instructions, but on seeing the next signal clear, started to pull away.
At the same time, the 17.32 Cleethorpes
to Sheffield
local train, composed of a 2-carriage diesel multiple unit
, had left the nearby Barnetby station. The driver stopped at the Wrawby Junction home signal, which was at danger, but then he too saw the green hand-signal from the signal box and started to pull forwards slowly to stop at the signalbox for instructions.
At some point between the railwaymen manually setting No.89 points, and the freight train reaching them, they had become reset to the previous position. The freight train, upon reaching the points, thus took the incorrect route and collided with the side of the passenger train. Despite the low speed of the collision, the heavy locomotive caused serious damage to the front coach of the passenger train, and one passenger, 19-year-old Rachel Taylor, was killed.
inquiry found the accident to be due to the railwaymen failing to secure the points in the position in which they had set them. The report suggested that the signalman (though he had no recollection of doing so) had attempted to set the points lever in his cabin to the position matching that to which they had set them. This would have reset the circuit so that the points actually moved to the original position. The driver of the freight train was also held partially responsible, as he should have stopped his train at the signal box to receive further instructions.
source described the issue as "an amazing coincidence".
Wrawby Junction
Wrawby Junction is a busy railway junction located a short distance west of Barnetby, North Lincolnshire, England and controls the confluence of the Network Rail routes from Lincoln, Retford and Scunthorpe towards Immingham and Cleethorpes...
, near Barnetby station
Barnetby railway station
Barnetby railway station serves the village of Barnetby-le-Wold in North Lincolnshire. The station area still uses semaphore signals. It is operated by First TransPennine Express, with East Midlands Trains and Northern Rail also serving the station....
in North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire
North Lincolnshire is a unitary authority area in the region of Yorkshire and the Humber in England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of Lincolnshire....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It happened when a freight train collided at low speed with the side of a local passenger train. The first carriage of the passenger train was derailed and turned over onto its side, and one passenger was killed instantly. In the subsequent inquiry, the accident was deemed to have been caused by a signalman failing to secure a set of points
Railroad switch
A railroad switch, turnout or [set of] points is a mechanical installation enabling railway trains to be guided from one track to another at a railway junction....
that he had operated manually after an equipment failure.
The accident
Approximately half an hour before the accident, the signalman in charge of Wrawby Junction signal boxSignal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
had changed a set of points (No.89) to send a freight train into a siding, when he noticed a failure of a track circuit
Track circuit
A track circuit is a simple electrical device used to detect the absence of a train on rail tracks, used to inform signallers and control relevant signals.- Principles and operation :...
, which prevented him from re-setting the points to their normal position (and also meant that the 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...
closest to the signal box was stuck at "danger"). He thus made the decision that he and another railwayman would walk to the points and move them to the normal position manually, which they did. Upon returning to the signal box, he noticed that the indicator for No.89 points appeared to be malfunctioning - normally it would show the points set to one position or the other, but the lights that showed which position the points were set to were both extinguished.
Meanwhile, the 15.02 freight train from Drax power station to Lindsey oil terminal
Lindsey Oil Refinery
Lindsey Oil Refinery is a Total owned oil refinery on Eastfield Road in North Killingholme, North Lincolnshire, England. It lies immediately north of the Humber Refinery owned by rival oil company ConocoPhillips, being north of the railway line to Immingham Docks. The former RAF North Killingholme...
, composed of Class 47 diesel locomotive
British Rail Class 47
The British Rail Class 47, is a class of British railway diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction. A total of 512 Class 47s were built at Crewe Works and Brush's Falcon Works, Loughborough between 1962 and 1968, which made them the most numerous class of British...
No.47299 and nine empty 100-ton oil wagons, had drawn up to the signal which was stuck at danger, and received a green hand-signal from the signal box. At this point, the driver of the freight train should have drawn up to the signal box to receive instructions, but on seeing the next signal clear, started to pull away.
At the same time, the 17.32 Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes
Cleethorpes is a town and unparished area in North East Lincolnshire, England, situated on the estuary of the Humber. It has a population of 31,853 and is a seaside resort.- History :...
to Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
local train, composed of a 2-carriage diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
, had left the nearby Barnetby station. The driver stopped at the Wrawby Junction home signal, which was at danger, but then he too saw the green hand-signal from the signal box and started to pull forwards slowly to stop at the signalbox for instructions.
At some point between the railwaymen manually setting No.89 points, and the freight train reaching them, they had become reset to the previous position. The freight train, upon reaching the points, thus took the incorrect route and collided with the side of the passenger train. Despite the low speed of the collision, the heavy locomotive caused serious damage to the front coach of the passenger train, and one passenger, 19-year-old Rachel Taylor, was killed.
The inquiry
The Department of TransportDepartment for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
inquiry found the accident to be due to the railwaymen failing to secure the points in the position in which they had set them. The report suggested that the signalman (though he had no recollection of doing so) had attempted to set the points lever in his cabin to the position matching that to which they had set them. This would have reset the circuit so that the points actually moved to the original position. The driver of the freight train was also held partially responsible, as he should have stopped his train at the signal box to receive further instructions.
The freight locomotive
The incident was later given a stranger twist by the claim that the locomotive involved had been re-numbered in order to prevent a psychic's premonition that a locomotive numbered 47216 would be involved in a fatal accident. The freight train locomotive, No. 47299, had been renumbered from its previous designation of 47216 two years earlier, causing some confusion in rail enthusiast circles, as locomotives were only usually renumbered when some major mechanical alteration had been made to them, which was not the case. A British RailBritish Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
source described the issue as "an amazing coincidence".