British rail incident enquiries

[ecmlthrash15]

Hi everybody. Is it possible to look at incident reports from british rail when they had to undertake an enquiry? Thanks.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

You looking for something like this...?

Accident Archive :: The Railways Archive

Archive of UK railways documents

www.railwaysarchive.co.uk

Have filtered it to only include the years 1948-1997 when British Rail/British Railways was effectively operational.

Several hundred accident/incident reports to peruse.

 

[ecmlthrash15]

You looking for something like this...?

Accident Archive :: The Railways Archive

Archive of UK railways documents

www.railwaysarchive.co.uk

Have filtered it to only include the years 1948-1997 when British Rail/British Railways was effectively operational.

Several hundred accident/incident reports to peruse.

Hi. Thanks for that. What I was looking for was not there. 2 people lost their lives at an unmanned crossing in 1978. I'm looking for possible info.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

What was the actual date (in 1978) and/or location?

 

[hexagon789]

Hi. Thanks for that. What I was looking for was not there. 2 people lost their lives at an unmanned crossing in 1978. I'm looking for possible info.

If there was nothing pertinent to learn from an incident, there was often no formal inquiry particularly. If it was simply a tragic accident caused by misjudgement on the part of a member of the public but not on the part of the Railway for instance.

It's possible the incident you describe was handled internally and if any internal reports survive, the only place I can think that may have them would be the National Railway Archive at the NRM in York.

 

[Surreytraveller]

There may be a Coroner's report?

 

[ecmlthrash15]

What was the a

What was the actual date (in 1978) and/or location?

Brooms crossing, leadgate, co. Durham. A newspaper article said BR would undertake enquiry.

A newspaper clipping said BR would undertake an enquiry.

If there was nothing pertinent to learn from an incident, there was often no formal inquiry particularly. If it was simply a tragic accident caused by misjudgement on the part of a member of the public but not on the part of the Railway for instance.

It's possible the incident you describe was handled internally and if any internal reports survive, the only place I can think that may have them would be the National Railway Archive at the NRM in York.

 

[Gloster]

BR probably did carry out an enquiry, but if there were no particular points of note it would quite possibly go no further than the normal circulation to those needing to know. This would probably include the Railway Inspectorate, who would only investigate further if it felt that there were wider considerations. A copy might be submitted to the Coroner, although the report might be made verbally.

EDIT: There is a ‘ Local Newspaper Archive of Leadgate History Society ‘ on Facebook. I have no idea what it holds or even if it is the right Leadgate.

 

[swt_passenger]

If you have the names and dates you will probably get a short narrative of what happened if you order one or both death certificates.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Looks like the incident was early November 1978 according to what can readily be ascertained from the (online) British Newspaper Archive. Happened at an unmanned level crossing at The Brooms, Leadgate, near Consett. As the OP says, two were killed, a 52 year old man and his partner. The emergency services were apparently at the incident quite promptly, but sadly nothing could be done.

Likely that newspapers in the Newcastle area in the following days/weeks might have follow up information on this rather sorry tale.

 

[Clarence Yard]

BR internal records of any such incident or post incident report are very unlikely to have survived - neither the National Archives nor the NRM have much in the way of any of the ER records - nearly everything was binned. Does anyone know whether the arrangements at the crossing were changed after the incident? That might give a clue as to what any report might have recommended.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Take it that all track in the area was lifted only a few years later, in the mid 1980s, and the former railway line is now a walkers' trail? (Part of the 28 mile 'Consett and Sunderland Railway path').

 

[ecmlthrash15]

Looks like the incident was early November 1978 according to what can readily be ascertained from the (online) British Newspaper Archive. Happened at an unmanned level crossing at The Brooms, Leadgate, near Consett. As the OP says, two were killed, a 52 year old man and his partner. The emergency services were apparently at the incident quite promptly, but sadly nothing could be done.

Likely that newspapers in the Newcastle area in the following days/weeks might have follow up information on this rather sorry tale.áz

Yes, you are right. Consett steelworks closed 1980. Trains were still backward and forward until 1983. Most of the line lifted since late 80s, now cycle way.
Do you have a link please to the newspaper article you found please?

BR internal records of any such incident or post incident report are very unlikely to have survived - neither the National Archives nor the NRM have much in the way of any of the ER records - nearly everything was binned. Does anyone know whether the arrangements at the crossing were changed after the incident? That might give a clue as to what any report might have recommended.

The newspaper snippet said that only the previous year, a van driver narrowly escaped with his life when he was using the crossing.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Here you go. Ignore the first two reports, as they're not relevant. Because of the limitations of optical character recognition, some of the text would seem to be garbled, but hopefully you can still make out the gist of the final two extracts.

Results for 'leadgate' | Between 3rd Nov 1978 and 3rd Nov 1978 | British Newspaper Archive

Your search results for leadgate: 3 newspaper articles contained information about leadgate filtered by: Date from: 3rd Nov 1978 - Date to: 3rd Nov 1978

www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

Extract from Newcastle Evening Chronicle. Date published... Friday 03 November 1978.

...crushed by the wheels of a 750. ton freight train. The tragedy came In darlvss (= darkness?) on an unmanned level crossing at The Brooms. Leadgate. near Cornett. (= Consett?)

 

[Taunton]

The Durham Coroner's office will be your best point. They keep all records. There will certainly have been an inquest, which a BR manager would have to attend and give evidence, and there will be a conclusion from the Coroner.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

The Durham Coroner's office will be your best point. They keep all records.

E-mail is <[email protected]>

Telephone is 03000 265556

The office opening hours are 9.00am to 4.00pm Monday to Friday.

 

[swt_passenger]

Within the text of the second report from the Newcastle Journal, the fourth item if you follow the link in post #14 by @Mcr Warrior I think there’s a significant hint about what possibly happened:

A British Rail spokesman sald:

"It is one of those crossings where we ask motorists to stop, look and listen before opening the gates.

"Both gates should be opened before the driver crosses.”

In the BNA archive I think the scanned images, particularly the second one from the Journal is fairly readable, it’s their OCR process that’s let them down.

 

[ecmlthrash15]

Within the text of the second report from the Newcastle Journal, the fourth item if you follow the link in post #14 by @Mcr Warrior I think there’s a significant hint about what possibly happened:

A British Rail spokesman sald:

"It is one of those crossings where we ask motorists to stop, look and listen before opening the gates.

"Both gates should be opened before the driver crosses.”

In the BNA archive I think the scanned images, particularly the second one from the Journal is fairly readable, it’s their OCR process that’s let them down.

Unfortunately, there is a fee to pay if you want to view the British newspaper journal. Anybody know the name of the female victim? Was it suicide?

 

[Gloster]

Unfortunately, there is a fee to pay if you want to view the British newspaper journal. Anybody know the name of the female victim? Was it suicide?

Without having read any of the original documents, the items above suggest that it was because the victims went out onto the crossing without having properly checked that no train was coming, i.e accident. (But, as said, I have not read any original documents.)

 

[swt_passenger]

Unfortunately, there is a fee to pay if you want to view the British newspaper journal. Anybody know the name of the female victim? Was it suicide?

Ah, I have a subscription, as it’s one of my go to sources for genealogy research normally. The people involved were John Henry Green, 52 a milkman, and Linda Boyle, aged 23, reported as his partner, I think from other parts of the two reports that was meaning a business partner. He left a widow and 3 daughters. She lived with her mother. They were collecting money from customers on the milk round.

I’ll attach a screen shot of the first part of the Evening Chronicle article, the Journal doesn’t give their names, I expect they hadn’t been released in time for the morning paper.

 

[Towers]

Amazing result from the forum! I often find it a tad startling how graphic newspaper reports of old could be, an unpleasant incident indeed.

 

[swt_passenger]

Amazing result from the forum! I often find it a tad startling how graphic newspaper reports of old could be, an unpleasant incident indeed.

Both newspapers also included a number of photos of the wrecked car, that must have left little to the imagination, but they‘ve not really come through the scanning process in a viewable state.

 

[ecmlthrash15]

Ah, I have a subscription, as it’s one of my go to sources for genealogy research normally. The people involved were John Henry Green, 52 a milkman, and Linda Boyle, aged 23, reported as his partner, I think from other parts of the two reports that was meaning a business partner. He left a widow and 3 daughters. She lived with her mother. They were collecting money from customers on the milk round.

I’ll attach a screen shot of the first part of the Evening Chronicle article, the Journal doesn’t give their names, I expect they hadn’t been released in time for the morning paper.

This is very kind of you to submit this. Much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[swt_passenger]

This is very kind of you to submit this. Much appreciated. Thanks.

No problem.

 

[ecmlthrash15]

Anyone interested, if you go to google and enter brooms crossing leadgate, then click images, there happens to be a black and white picture of a class 37 taken directly at the crossing.

 

[ecmlthrash15]

Can we deduce that this tragedy was the negligence of the car driver and not BR?

 

[Gloster]

Can we deduce that this tragedy was the negligence of the car driver and not BR?

Without seeing the original documents there doesn’t seem to be enough evidence to make that statement legally defensible. However, such as is available above suggests that that is the most likely cause, but I (personally) would not be willing to state with certainty that it is. Be aware that sometimes coroners would soft pedal their verdict at inquests to avoid upsetting families.

 

[contrex]

Amazing result from the forum! I often find it a tad startling how graphic newspaper reports of old could be, an unpleasant incident indeed.

Best (or worst?) traditions of the gutter press. "Death in a fireball" of a 52 year old milkman, "pretty girl partner" (who was "dark-haired"). Imagine how his family would have felt.