Collision at
Carnforth LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY
SIR, My Lords trust that the Directors will give the report their careful consideration.
IN compliance with tile instructions contained in your minute of the 23 rd August, I have now the honour to report, for the information of the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade the result of my 'inquiry into the circumstances which attended the collision that occurred on the l5 th of that month, near the Carnforth Station of the London and North-Western Railway. Sir, The branch to Ulverstone joins the main line about half a mile to the south of the Carnforth Station, and on the north of that station there are sidings for the use of the Carnforth Iron Company. For the protection of these sidings, there is, at the north end of them, a signalman's box, about half a mile from the station, and there is a distant-signal worked from that box immediately to the north of the station on the down side, while the platform station signal is on the up side of' the line. On the day in question, an excursion train from Skipton on the Midland Railway left Lancaster at 8.24 a.m., for Windermere, consisting of an engine and tender, 24 carriages, and three break-vans. The engine-driver states that he shut his steam off before reaching the Carnforth Junction, and turned it on again while passing through that junction on seeing the station-signal at all right. In approaching the Carnforth Station, at a Speed of 30 miles an hour, he saw, when he was within 300 yards of it, the distant-signal from the Iron Company's Sidings at danger. he then shut off his steam again, whistled for the breaks, and reversed his engine. Seeing several men making hand- signals to him to stop from the station platform, he turned on steam against his engine at the north of that platform, and he had reduced his speed to seven miles an hour, according to his own account, or to 10 or 15 miles an hour, according to the statement of the Midland guard, before he struck some loaded mineral waggons which stood before him on the down line. The smoke box door, the blast pipe, and the buffer- plank of his engine were damaged ; and the leading end of the engine dropped off the rails, when it was taken from a waggon which it had mounted and partly destroyed. One of the carriages near the middle of the train was somewhat damaged. Thirty-two of the passengers have complained of injury, as well as the guard of the Midland Company, who rode in a van in the middle of the train. The mineral train which was thus in the way of the excursion train, left the Carnforth Station about 8.18 a.m. for the Iron Company's sidings. The engine was detached from the waggons, and they remained, seventeen in number,and loaded with iron- ore, on the down line, while the engine was taken into the sidings, to fetch out 40 empty waggons. It was so engaged when the collision occurred. The regular siding signalman was away from his post on leave ; but a platelayer who had been doing duty temporarily as a porter at the Station, was sent to the signal-cabin by the station-master a quarter of an hour before the mineral train was despatched from the station, to work the signals and points at the north-end of the sidings. This man, Richard Rogerson, turned the distant-signal to danger; and there is no doubt that it was at danger when the excursion train approached it. An inspector in the traffic department of the London and North-Western Company rode in the van at the tail of the excursion train. He caused his break to be partially applied before he reached the Carnforth Junction, and "thinking that the train was going at a good speed" he kept it on till he saw the distant-signal from the siding at danger when he was half-way between the junction and the station. He then applied it fully, but he did not hear the engine-whistle until he was about 160 yards from the distant-signal. The engine-driver of the excursion train, Richard Turner, became a cleaner in 1857, and a, fireman in 1861; and he has been an extra driver, with passenger and goods trains,for about 12 months. he was well acquainted with that part of the line, but had never before seen the distant-signal from the iron works siding, though that signal had been in use for three months, and he had passed through the Station three times in the same week previously to the collision, and on two other occasions during those three months in both directions. It is the practice to post up on the notice-board in the locomotive shed at Preston an intimation of any extra signals which are erected from time to time ; but this practice does not appear to have been so strictly carried out in regard to the Lancaster and Carlisle section as on other parts of the line ; and no notice was given when the distant-signal in question was erected and brought into use. Not having had occasion previously to observe it, and seeing the station signal within 100 yards of it at all right, Turner did not apparently notice it as soon as he might have done, and he lost time, therefore, in checking the speed of his train so as to avoid this collision. It is very necessary that notice Should be given in future in regard to any new signals which may be erected on this part of the line, and it is exceedingly desirable, when excursion trains are run in this way, that notice should be given by telegraph of their approach. with a view to the line being kept clear for them at the proper time, in place of its being obstructed, as on this occasion,by a mineral train near a station at which the excursion train was not due to stop. I took the opportunity while on the spot to recommend certain other improvements, in affording communication by telegraph between the Carnforth Station, and the junction on one side of it, and the siding signalman on the other side,-in adding a locking apparatus at the siding cabin, in constructing a stage from which the numerous points connected with the main line south of the station, and the station signals, should be worked, and in providing for the safety of the south end of the Iron Company's sidings. It would be better, also, in future to keep the platform signal at danger, whenever the distant-signal near it from the Sidings is at danger. I have, &e. (Railway Department).
Board of Trade Report 24th November 1866 ACCIDENT TO AN EXCURSION TRAIN.-On Friday morning, shortly before 9 o'clock, an excursion train from Skipton to Windermere came into collision with a number of waggons laden with iron ore, standing on the down line, about half a mile from the Carnforth station, on the London and North-Western Railway. The Skipton train left Lancaster about 8.30 a.m., and on passing Carnforth station was proceeding at the rate of 10 or 12 miles an hour. At the bridge to the north of Carnforth station a danger signal was exhibited but the driver of the excursion train did not perceive it, and passed through the station. On nearing the bridge where the Wennington and Carnforth Railway crosses the London and North-Western the driver saw, about 100 yards before him, a number of waggons laden with iron ore. He reversed the engine and applied the break, but before the speed of the train could be perceptibly lessened the passenger train ran into the waggons, the engine jumping, as it were, with the fore wheels right on to the hindmost waggons. A number of the passengers at the time of the collision, having had their attention drawn to the danger by the shrill whistle of the engine, had their heads out of the windows of the carriages, and the consequence was that several of them received injuries on the head. The violence of the collision threw the passengers with great force against one another, or against the opposite side of the compartments of the carriages, and upwards of 30 persons were more or less bruised; some with teeth knocked out, others with bruises and cuts upon the head, and two or three complained of internal injuries. Medical assistance was immediately obtained, and the wounded were conveyed by special train to Lancaster, where every possible assistance was rendered. The following persons were among those more seriously injured:- Miss Elizabeth Carradios, Austinwick, Clapham; Miss Hutchinson, Miss Jane Cragg, and Mr. William Greenwood, Settle; Mr. Thomas Fisher, Mr. Perfect, Mrs and Miss Garnett, Skipton. Mr. Christopher Baylis, Skipton, slightly bruised and shaken. The engine of the passenger train being smashed and rendered useless was removed, the debris and broken waggons were quickly cleared away, and after a delay of a couple of hours those of the excursionists who were uninjured were taken on to Windermere. By what may almost be considered a miracle, the driver, though he remained on his engine, escaped with a slight scald; the stoker jumped off before the collision occurred.- Leeds Mercury The Times 17th August 1866
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