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Quintinshill rail disaster (1915)

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coupwotcoup

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I just came on to make a passing comment about the day too.
Not sure why I should remember it but shocking scenario, with
five trains and signalman forgetting one standing near his box.
Messrs Makin and Tinsley, no?
 

Johnuk123

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I always remember the bit about the strong smell of burning flesh hanging in the air for days afterwards.
 

matchmaker

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98 years since Quintinshill :cry::cry:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintinshill_rail_disaster

The Quintinshill rail disaster occurred on 22 May 1915 in Scotland near Gretna Green at Quintinshill, an intermediate signal box with loops on each side on the Caledonian Railway Main Line linking Glasgow and Carlisle (the line now forms part of the West Coast Main Line).


The crash, which involved five trains, killed a probable 226[nb 1] and injured 246 and remains the worst rail crash in the United Kingdom in terms of loss of life.[2] Those killed were mainly Territorial soldiers from the 1/7th (Leith) Battalion, the Royal Scots heading for Gallipoli. The precise number of dead was never established with confidence as the roll list of the regiment was destroyed by the fire.[1]
 

MidnightFlyer

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Can't believe it's almost a century ago. Very sad as you say.

For anyone who hasn't heard of it, there's more info (and quite a useful animation) here. it remains the biggest crash in railway history in Britain in terms of lives lost, at 226, with a further 246 injuries). The site of the incident is still operation to this day - it's a few miles north of the border on the WCML.
 

kylemore

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Every time one passes that spot one can't help remembering the event with a shiver. That such events are so rare, and were so even then, is a tribute to the professionalism of Railmen and Women in keeping us safe over the years.
 

chris89

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Every time one passes that spot one can't help remembering the event with a shiver. That such events are so rare, and were so even then, is a tribute to the professionalism of Railmen and Women in keeping us safe over the years.

Im the exact same. Can't help but think of the people who lost there lives when i pass the site on a VT 221 or 390. I even do when using the WCML N route for Railworks.

Chris
 

MidnightFlyer

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Yep. They are still available for passenger operation as far as I know, but nothing is booked to use them normally. However, when EC diversions are on, they may see very limited use. There was one last year, Sunday northbound only or similar.

Edit - that was 'Yes' to SemaphoreSam. I'm unsure if they are in the same position as Darandio asked, but I too would assume so.
 

GatwickDepress

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A very sad incident, one that paints a horrifically vivid image from just a few sentences. Thankfully nothing of this scale has happened since.

If anyone is interested, the BoT report in PDF format is available here.
 

Johnuk123

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Alll railway accidents involving death are horrible but this one was on a different scale to all the others.

The fire that was caused by the gas lamps was absolutely unimaginable and raged for over a day.

Soldiers were trapped and waited to be burnt to death as the fire spread around them.

I recall reading about how the smell of burnt flesh hung in the air for days afterwards.
I also recall reading how pops from pistols were heard from the fire. Was it simply ammunition going off or was it soldiers shooting each other and themselves.

Of the 500 or so troops only 53 answered roll call later on.

The exact number of soldiers to be killed was never known as the mens records were also lost in the fire.

Unbelievably a coffin described as "little girl unrecognisable" was never identified and was never claimed.

All the surviving soldiers were deemed unfit for duty and were sent back to Edinburgh.

On the march from the station some people mistook them for prisoners of war and pelted them with stones.

After a few days off they were dispatched once again by train and ship to Gallipoli where they suffered massive losses.

A truly horrible event.
 
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Truely a horrific event.

An interesting interview with a survivor was published in the Guardian back in 2001:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/may/18/transport.uk

'The express hit us and then I lost consciousness'

In 1915, 225 people died in Britain's worst ever rail disaster. Researching the incident for a film, Michael Simkins made an incredible discovery - one of the survivors was still alive.

As the train pulled out of London King's Cross on its journey towards Peterborough, I tried again to make sense of the arithmetic of the journey I was making. I'd been researching the events of the Quintinshill train crash to see if it would make an idea for a film, and after months of studying yellowing newspaper clippings and official inquiry reports, I was about to meet a man who claimed to have been in it...
 

Tiny Tim

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The series of mistakes that caused the accident at Quintinshill were by no means exceptional, but the consequences were truly terrible. Quintinshill isn't a major junction, just a busy section of mainline and a couple of loops. It's sobering to think of the potential for disaster that signallers are responsible for both then and now. Railway staff during WWI often worked long hours, and manpower shortages made matters worse. I'm almost surprised that more major accidents haven't occurred on UK railways, especially during the 19th century when signalling was still being developed.
 

Tim R-T-C

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I just googled this following your post. I was vaguely aware of some sort of rail accident of that name, but had no idea of the scale of loss of life / injuries. Must have been pretty horrible.

Although it was reported at the time, particularly in the Scottish media, the horror of the losses must have been subsumed almost completely by the incomparable magnitude of the Gallipoli Campaign and Ypres battles raging at the same time, plus the recent sinking of the Lusitania with over 1000 deaths.

I can recommend the J Hamilton book Britain's Greatest Rail Disaster if you can find a copy, a very detailed account.
 

MidnightFlyer

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Incredibly sad, can't believe it's been a year since the last commemoration thread! Always have a quiet minute or so passing the site (for those unaware, it's literally a couple of miles beyond the Scottish border on the WCML, the loops still remain) on a train. The numbers lost are painfully high.
 
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