Hotels located adjacent to railway lines

MarlowDonkey said:

The Livermead House Hotel in Torquay backs onto the line to Paignton. Some of the rooms directly overlook the tracks.

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When viewing the signals from the cab of an engine before my Inquiry I had observed that the Hotel's fire escape landing was close to the lineof sight from the footplate to the Advanced Starting signal as the engine approached. As a result of Driver Willott's slfggestion that he had seen someone "up high near the signal", inquiries were made at the Hotel and a statement taken from Mr. R. 1. Sandford who was employed there as a gardener. Mr. Sandford said that at about 2.30 pm. on the day of the collision he climbed to the landing of the Hotel's fire escape to observe a lineside fire, the smoke of which he had seen from the Hotel garden. While standing there he saw the stationary train and, on hearing another train leaving Torquay station, he stayed to watch it. From this viewpoint he saw the second train pass him at about 15 m.p.h. and a railwayman put something on the line and then run waving his arms towards the train. He then heard the detonator explode and witnessed the collision.

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