Hixon Level crossing crash happenend 50 years ago today 6 Jan 1968

[LeylandLen]

Im surprised there is no thread on that accident involving E3009 on 1A41 Manchester Piccadilly to Euston .The train collided with slow moving abnormal load consisting of large transformer on level crossing at Hixon Staffs exactly 50 years ago, also a Saturday. 11 fatalities including driver .

 

[cjmillsnun]

The crossing was an AHB (one of the first), and the driver of the abnormal load did not contact the signaller prior to crossing, they crawled over the crossing because of clearance issues with the OHLE, you can guess the rest.

The accident report resulted in changes to the design of barriered level crossings.

The accident report is available at the Railways Archive. http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/ev...opment=all&published=no&acctype=all&submit=Go if you want to read the full transcript.

It's now been replaced by an overbridge.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

The January 2018 Railway Magazine has an interesting article on this accident.

 

[edwin_m]

The load was under police escort and the police didn't think to contact the signaller either. I think there was some suggestion that the crew of the load thought the police would take care of such matters.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

The owner of the house in South London where I lodged in the mid-1980s was a passenger on the train. He mentioned once that some sort of compensation payment had come through - about 20 years after the event.
CL

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

BBC News have this report online today http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-eng...the-1968-train-crash-that-changed-uk-railways

 

[AndyPJG]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-eng...the-1968-train-crash-that-changed-uk-railways

The 1968 train crash that changed UK railways
A memorial is being unveiled for the victims of a rail crash 50 years ago.

On 6 January 1968, 11 people were killed when an express train hit a lorry carrying an electrical transformer at a level crossing in Hixon, Staffordshire.

It killed eight passengers and three rail workers and left 27 people seriously injured.

Residents of the village have now raised funds for a memorial which will be dedicated in the village churchyard.

As a result of the accident, safety measures were introduced to help save lives in future.

 

[70014IronDuke]

A small group of us went to Liverpool that day to bunk Speke Jcn and Edge Hill sheds. (I think that's all we did - were there any others still around at the time?) Anyway, we went back to Lime Street for our train back south, I suppose it was around 18.00 departure - and there was an announcement apologising for the stock not being well prepared (I think it was an old Mk1 rake) because the booked stock should have been the same as was involved in an accident earlier that day.

 

[AndrewE]

I just looked at the BBC on line report
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-eng...the-1968-train-crash-that-changed-uk-railways
and noticed what looks like an overturned steam breakdown crane at 38 seconds into the report. That would attract its own accident enquiry nowadays!

 

[Elecman]

I don’t think that’s an overturned steam crane

 

[AndrewE]

I don’t think that’s an overturned steam crane

What is it, then? Answers on a postcard please...

 

[Ash Bridge]

It's actually the remains of the huge transporter that was conveying the transformer. When struck by the Class 81, it apparently split virtually into two pieces after the impact. From what I can remember reading, the two tractor units (front and rear) escaped relatively unscathed.

Looked something like this,

 

[ilkestonian]

It's actually the remains of the huge transporter that was conveying the transformer. When struck by the Class 81, it apparently split virtually into two pieces after the impact. From what I can remember reading, the two tractor units (front and rear) escaped relatively unscathed.

Yes. The drivers of the leading and trailing tractor units realised a crash was imminent and accelerated, even though this was at the risk of the second driver being on the crossing at the time of impact. The inspector commended them for this.

In the event, it meant that the loco didn't strike the transformer full on, but hit the rear of it together with the "swan neck" which linked the low load deck of the carrying unit to the rear bogie. I'm pretty sure what appears to be a crane jib is this swan neck, but I can't work out what is behind it. My guess is that it is part of the rear bogie structure of the transporter.

This picture gives an idea of the scale of the swan neck...
https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/5703006926_5b4a65b6ea_b.jpg

 

[AndrewE]

It's actually the remains of the huge transporter that was conveying the transformer. When struck by the Class 81, it apparently split virtually into two pieces after the impact. From what I can remember reading, the two tractor units (front and rear) escaped relatively unscathed.
Looked something like this,

Could well be that then. You must admit it looks very like the end of a jib in the foreground (and like a bit of the transporter, I agree) but like the cab and chimney of a steam crane in the background though.
I promise I have got my glasses on, even if I did misinterpret it!

 

[Ash Bridge]

Could well be that then. You must admit it looks very like the end of a jib in the foreground (and like a bit of the transporter, I agree) but like the cab and chimney of a steam crane in the background though.
I promise I have got my glasses on, even if I did misinterpret it!

Yes I do agree very much, and I think ilkestonian has it right about it being one of the transporter bogie structures with its underside facing skywards, though having come across further images online it appears more like the leading bogie rather than the rear one that was swept away by the locomotive, pure speculation here though and I do stand to be corrected.

Edit: please disregard my suggestion above relating to the road transporters leading bogie, as having come across an aerial shot of the scene it clearly shows it being still intact behind the leading tractor unit as is the rear unit also. I have added another shot of what appears to be the mystery object but from another angle, it occupies the centre of the picture with the battered transformer to the left of shot.

 

[Railsigns]

There's information on this webpage about the breakdown crane that fell over at Hixon.

 

[ilkestonian]

There's information on this webpage about the breakdown crane that fell over at Hixon.

Thanks for that, and apologies for doubting the poster who thought it was a crane.

It does clarify things knowing what it was as I spent ages last night trying without success to work out from the aerial photos and diagrams of the crash what it was and how it got there.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Yes, the same goes for me, many thanks Railsigns and apologies to AndrewE you was spot on from the start!