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Where were the 'Midland Railway Wisbech Sidings, Peterborough'?

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MaccHistorian

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Can anyone please tell me where the Midland Railway's Wisbech Sidings were in Peterborough? In 1880, my ancestor was a platelayer for the Midland Railway and was working at the sidings when he was hit and badly injured by a wagon. He died the next day. I've looked at an old map of Peterborough but there are a lot of sidings. I'd really like to find out where he was working when he was injured. Many thanks.

The newspaper report says he "went to work as usual in good health on Thursday afternoon with his fellow-workmen constituting the “New England Gang,” and were put on the job of repairing some points and crossings close by the Wisbech siding of the Midland railway…. A coal train had just been shunted, and was expected to return on the line where the gang were at work almost immediately… the unfortunate man [was] standing on the shunting line, apparently forgetful of the approaching empty coal waggon, when he was knocked down by it as he stood… When the awful circumstances were realised… the man was to be seen with his head and body in a safe position, but his legs were still on the line – crushed almost off... His fellow workmen… prepared a truck… and [he] was taken to Peterborough station. Once there, a stretcher was procured, and the unfortunate man was conveyed to the Peterborough Infirmary. There he received every attention…. And under the influence of ether his legs were disengaged from the rest of his body; but Dr Walker, who performed the operation… held out no hope of the unfortunate man’s recovery… he lingered on through the weary hours of the night… but the maimed platelayer passed to his rest."

At the inquest, the driver of the shunting engine said "I was on duty on Thursday afternoon at the Wisbech sidings, in charge of an engine, shunting empty waggons from the sidings into the shunting road and back into other sidings. I had taken seven or eight waggons from No 4 siding on the shunting road, and was backing into No 5 siding when I saw a signal for me to stop, from Cole, the foreman shunter. I stopped the engine at once, and looked in the direction of No 5 siding, when I saw the deceased on the ground. I saw him pulled from under the waggons. The deceased had been repairing the line with other workmen. I was just shunting back as the 3.22 Lynn train was passing. I did not whistle. I thought the road was clear, as it was when I shunted out. My mate and myself were on the engine. I looked out to see if anyone was on the line before I shunted back again. I saw no one. It is my duty to whistle when I start an engine, but it is not the practice when on the shunting road. The man was taken up and put into a waggon, which my engine drew up to the Midland gates of the Thorp Road crossing. He was afterwards taken to the Peterborough Infirmary.”
A juror then said, “It was the shunting road that was being repaired.”
 
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Gloster

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Various googling around of ‘Wisbech Sidings Signal Box’ (actually all googled in lower case) suggests that they were to the north of Wisbech Junction, where the Midland & Great Northern Joint left the Midland about half a mile or so north of the main station. A look at the Pre-grouping Railway Junction Diagrams suggest that all the Midland’s facilities were to the west of the East Coast Main Line.
 

MaccHistorian

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Various googling around of ‘Wisbech Sidings Signal Box’ (actually all googled in lower case) suggests that they were to the north of Wisbech Junction, where the Midland & Great Northern Joint left the Midland about half a mile or so north of the main station. A look at the Pre-grouping Railway Junction Diagrams suggest that all the Midland’s facilities were to the west of the East Coast Main Line.
Thanks. I'm looking at this old map (with present-day on the right) - not sure if you can see it without registering? https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/sid...2.59351&lon=-0.25943&layers=168&right=BingHyb
I can see some sidings are between the Wisbech line (as it begins to curve round to the right) and the ECML heading north, so perhaps it was there? I suppose they were called the Wisbech Sidings because they were adjacent to the line to Wisbech.
 

Gloster

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I would think that they are the sidings between what is marked as the MR (short for Midland Railway) Syston and Peterborough line and the curve of the M. & G. N. JOINT R. They may have been called Wisbech Sidings because that is where the traffic for Wisbech and beyond was exchanged by the two railways. Please note that I am no expert on Peterborough or the M&GN; there is a society for the latter.
 

MaccHistorian

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Thank you, I didn't know there was a society but have found it now. Thanks for your help anyway, I think I can see where the accident happened. Much appreciated.
 

WesternLancer

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Can anyone please tell me where the Midland Railway's Wisbech Sidings were in Peterborough? In 1880, my ancestor was a platelayer for the Midland Railway and was working at the sidings when he was hit and badly injured by a wagon. He died the next day. I've looked at an old map of Peterborough but there are a lot of sidings. I'd really like to find out where he was working when he was injured. Many thanks.

The newspaper report says he "went to work as usual in good health on Thursday afternoon with his fellow-workmen constituting the “New England Gang,” and were put on the job of repairing some points and crossings close by the Wisbech siding of the Midland railway…. A coal train had just been shunted, and was expected to return on the line where the gang were at work almost immediately… the unfortunate man [was] standing on the shunting line, apparently forgetful of the approaching empty coal waggon, when he was knocked down by it as he stood… When the awful circumstances were realised… the man was to be seen with his head and body in a safe position, but his legs were still on the line – crushed almost off... His fellow workmen… prepared a truck… and [he] was taken to Peterborough station. Once there, a stretcher was procured, and the unfortunate man was conveyed to the Peterborough Infirmary. There he received every attention…. And under the influence of ether his legs were disengaged from the rest of his body; but Dr Walker, who performed the operation… held out no hope of the unfortunate man’s recovery… he lingered on through the weary hours of the night… but the maimed platelayer passed to his rest."

At the inquest, the driver of the shunting engine said "I was on duty on Thursday afternoon at the Wisbech sidings, in charge of an engine, shunting empty waggons from the sidings into the shunting road and back into other sidings. I had taken seven or eight waggons from No 4 siding on the shunting road, and was backing into No 5 siding when I saw a signal for me to stop, from Cole, the foreman shunter. I stopped the engine at once, and looked in the direction of No 5 siding, when I saw the deceased on the ground. I saw him pulled from under the waggons. The deceased had been repairing the line with other workmen. I was just shunting back as the 3.22 Lynn train was passing. I did not whistle. I thought the road was clear, as it was when I shunted out. My mate and myself were on the engine. I looked out to see if anyone was on the line before I shunted back again. I saw no one. It is my duty to whistle when I start an engine, but it is not the practice when on the shunting road. The man was taken up and put into a waggon, which my engine drew up to the Midland gates of the Thorp Road crossing. He was afterwards taken to the Peterborough Infirmary.”
A juror then said, “It was the shunting road that was being repaired.”
Interesting to read this sad story with the transcript you have posted here. Welcome to the forum by the way - I am sure others will post who will be able to locate the exact spot.

Not sure how much you know of railway work but these sorts of shunting work / yards always strike me as very high risk work with dangers inherent in the nature of the work / way work was carried out for employees.

This certainly remained the case well into the 1950s if not the 60s and there are examples of staff instruction films on line from that sort of era to try and improve safety.

I can't find the links at the mo, but I have seen film on you tube etc of men dancing between rolling wagons (not connected to engines) in order to operate their manually lever operated brakes to slow and control the wagons as they were guided from one line to another to make up the train in the sidings. The scope for danger is immediately clear, esp as such tasks would also happen in low light levels etc etc. Others may be able post links to such films if you are interested.

It strikes me that it would be easy to forget which line had a moving train on it in the circs that your relative was working.
 
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