Collision at Arnside
between goods and passenger trains.

13 th May 1880

FURNESS RAILWAY.

I have the honour to report, for the information of the Board or Trade, in compliance with the instructions contained in the Order of the 20th May, the result of my inquiry. into the causes of a collision which occurred on the 13th May at Arnside station on the Furness Railway.

In this case, the 1 p.m. down passenger train from Kendal to Grange, consisting of tank-engine, two third-class carriages, one composite, and rear Breakvan, on approaching, Arnside station, ran into, a siding of which the facing points had been left open, and came into collision with the engine of a goods train which was, standing on the siding.

Four passengers told the guard that they were shaken, but only two have made any complaint to the Company.
The buffer-beam and one spring of the goods engine were damaged.
There was no other damage to the rolling stock or to the permanent way.

Description.

Arnside is the terminus of the Furness Railway Company‘s single line from Hincaster junction, which approaches from the north, curves sharply to the west, and joins the Furness main double line, running from east to west, with a double junction having a very short loop, the facing-points of the junction, being on the up main line.

The station has two platforms, one in the angle between the main line and the branch, serving as the up main-line platform, and the only branch platform, and the other being for the down main line only.

The loop points on the branch for the double junction are between the station platform and the junction, and 87 yards from the signal-cabin which is opposite to the junction.

There are on the branch single line two siding connections, one for a goods yard 165 yards from the signal box and close tot he east end of the platform, and the other for a siding 470 yards from the signal box at a spot where the line is on a 15 chain curve. Both these connections show facing points to trains arriving on the branch; they are both worked from the ground, and are wire-locked from the signal box. The levers working these wire locks are, correctly interlocked with the 20 other levers in the signal-box.

Evidence.

Henry Riley states. - I have been altogether about 5 years and 9 months in the service of the company, and at Arnside since March 1880. On the 13th May I came on duty at 2 p.m. for 8 hours. At 12.28 p.m. an up main-line goods train arrived, and went onto the branch. The engine took some waggons to Sandside and brought back on to the main line. The engine then went to the warehouse yard at 1.4 p.m. and took out a waggon, and then went with it onto the siding. The porter on duty went down to open the points of the siding to back the train through them. I pulled off my bolt-lever to enable him to work the points. When engine and train was in the siding the driver gave a crow whistle, signifying that he was clear of the points and going to remain there until the Kendal train had come in. I then put back my bolt-lever, releasing the interlocking, and I then took off my signals for the Kendal train, which was due in at 1.27. I got it "on line" from Hincaster junction at 1.17. The accident took place at about 1.27. I did not know before this accident that it was possible to get the bolt-lever back when the points were open.

William Slinger states.- I have been 16 years in the service and about 6 years a guard. On the 13th instant I was guard of the 1 p.m. down passenger train from Kendal to Grange, consisting of tank-engine (running break first), two third-class, one composite, and rear break-van, in which I was riding. The signals were off approaching Arnside, but I was looking out on the in-side of the carriage and saw that the siding-points were open. The engine must then have been about 10 yards off them. I did not hear any whistle. I put on my break, and it acted well. We were then running about 10 or 12 miles an hour, but had nearly stopped when the collision occurred. I scarcely felt the shock. there were about 40 passengers in the train; when they got to Grange four complained that they had been shaken, but they were not much hurt. I have never before known the points to be wrong when the signals were off.

James Dick states.- I have been 14 years in the service, and 7 years a driver. On the 13th instant I brought the pick-up goods train from Barrow for Carnforth. We left Barrow at 9.35 a.m., right on time. When we arrived at Arnside I brought my train on to the branch, and did some shunting; took some waggons to Sandside, and brought one or two back. I then put my train back on to the main line, and then went into the warehouse yard and brought out one waggon. I pushed this waggon up to the sidings point, and fly shunted it into the sidings. I then ran back, and the porter turned me into the sidings again, to wait for the Kendal train to pass. He was at the points all the time. I went back about 6 yards beyond the scotch-block. I pushed back the loose waggon and some others which were in the sidings and my breaksman coupled them up with my engine. I then stood waiting for the passenger train. I had whistled to let the signalman know we were clear. I had been standing 4 or 5 minutes when I saw the train coming. The driver whistled, and my mate jumped down and said that the passenger engine had turned in the wrong way. I put on steam, and had just commenced to move when the collision occurred. It was very slight, and there was hardly any shock. My buffer-beam and one spring were slightly damaged. The porter left the points, I think, when I had whistled; it may have been a little before. My breaks-man never touched the points.

Thomas Parker, fireman, William Weaver, goods guard, corroborate the driver‘s evidence.

Thomas Dyson states.- I have been 25 years in the service, and 20 years a driver. On the 13 th May I was driver with No. 34 tank-engine, working the Arnside branch. I brought the 1 p.m. down train from Kendal, consisting of four carriages and van. We left Kendal right time, and Sandside almost a minute late. the distant-signal and home-signal from Arnside were both off, and I was approaching the station at about 10 miles an hour, the usual speed. When I came round the curve I saw that the siding points were lying open. I was then about 45 or 50 yards off. I told my mate to put on the break, whistled for the guard‘s break, reversed my engine, and put back steam. We ran into the siding, and I had almost brought my train to a stand when my engine struck the engine of an up goods train, which had been backed into the siding to clear the main line. There was very little shock. The other engine was just on the move back, as the driver had started it when he saw that we had taken the points. No vehicles were off the rails. My engine was not damaged, but one buffer on the other engine was broken. I should have stopped in about 5 or 10 yards; we were only just moving. My engine is a single engine, with hand-break working one warder-block on each of the driving and trailing wheels. the guard‘s van was in rear. I have driven on the branch for about 2� years. I have never before seen the points lying wrong with the signals off.

Henry Ireland states.- I have been 11 or 12 years in the service. On the 13th I was fireman to Thomas Dyson. His evidence is correct. I put my break on when told to, and it acted well.

Joe Tovey states.- I have been about 2 months in the service as porter. On the 13th instant I was the only porter at Arnside. I came on duty at 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. with an hour off for dinner. I came back from dinner at about 1 p.m.: I found the goods train shunting back on to the main line. The engine then went into the yard and brought out a a waggon, which it pushed up and slipped into the Sandside siding. The engine then backed into the siding after the waggon, to work on and bring out that waggon and another one. I went back to help couple up, and the guard told me that he was going to shunt. I coupled up and then he told me that he was going to wait till the passenger train had passed. I then went onto the platform, and the guard went towards the engine. No one sent me to the siding-points in the first instance, but I went of my own accord, as it is part of my duty to open the points for anything to go in. I opened the points for the waggon to go in , and after that I must have left them open by mistake. I have never seen the points wrong before when the signals were off.

James Bispham states,- I have been 4 years a signalman, and have been at Arnside ever since the branch was opened. I have known that I could get the lever working the wire lock-bolt at the siding points back into position, and so release the signal levers, when the points were still in the wrong position. I have never reported this officially, for I thought it was known. I was not on duty on the day of the accident.

Conclusion.

This slight collision was caused by the forgetfulness of porter Tovey, who after opening the points of the siding at Arnside for the goods engine to go in, omitted to put them back into the proper position for the main line. This man, who frankly admitted that he was to blame for the accident, had been only two months in the service, and is, I consider, too inexperienced to be in the position of head porter, or to have charge of shunting operations at a place where a mistake may lead to serious disaster. In this instance, however, his mistake ought not to have been sufficient to cause the accident, unless the wire-worked bolt-lock securing the siding had been out of order; for it should be impossible for the man in the signal-box, after unbolting the siding points, until the points have been set right for the main line, in which position they should be again bolted by the putting back of the lever. The wire had no doubt been stretched, and I found that the lever could be moved back without any difficulty when the points were set for the siding, and that it was impossible for the signalman to tell how the points were lying when he performed this operation. the signalman is therefore, in no way to blame for having lowered his signals for the passenger train to run into Arnside station, for he received a signal to show that the goods engine as in the siding, and he naturally thought that the points had been closed by the porter, and that in putting back his bolt lever he had secured them in that position.

Owing to the sharp curve, the driver of the passenger train was unable to see the position of the points until he was close upon them, and he then did all in his power to stop his train. He would no doubt have succeeded in doing so if the train had been fitted with continuous break.

This accident shows clearly the unreliability of wire-locked points, especially at so great a distance from the signal-cabin as they are at this siding; and, as it would not be practicable, owing to the sharp curve, to secure these points by means of a bolt actuated by a rod instead of a wire, it is very desirable in the interests of the public safety that this connection should be taken out, and one at the other end of the siding, 200 yards nearer to the cabin, substituted for it, or that it should be worked either by means of an Annetts key, or from a second signal-cabin erected between this connection and that with the warehouse yard. this latter connection has been made since the line was opened, and it has never been submitted for inspection. It is a few yards only over the regulated distance of 150 yards from the signal-cabin, and it might therefore continue to be worked from this cabin, provided a rod be substituted for the existing wire, and the ordinary facing-point bolt, locking bar, and safety-points at once supplied. safety-points are also required at the north siding connection.

I would remark, in connection with this accident, that it would appear that the turntables, which were required when this was inspected, are not made use of, as the tank-engine of the passenger train was running with the wrong end in front.

The Secretary,
(Railway Department,) Board of Trade,

Collision at Arnside  between goods and passenger trains.13 th May 1880. Board of Trade report.