The 1969 incident also showed Wilsdon's disregard of what had occurred in 1961 but it was agreed that the manager at the time had been unwise in waiting two months to question Wilsdon, but had acted appropriately when he did. He later commented to Stokes a joking complaint about the driver of the first excursion train, calling him a "slow bastard". The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. Both men were subsequently suspended shortly afterwards, against which Wilsdon immediately appealed, claiming that the event was an isolated incident. In the background can be seen the structures of the replacement station, today's "Eltham", taking shape. Another steam-era system to go was the mechanical signalling, semaphores and the cabin going out of use on 14th March 1970, when four-aspect colour lights, controlled from a temporary panel at St Johns, came into use. Further Reading Well Hall, Eltham, train crash, 1972: an injured train driver being The last recommendation that Robertson made regarding the accident was the usage of telephone to sign on duty within the Southern Region. It seems these splashes were too late and light to register in the cab. Report on the Derailment that occurred on 11th June 1972 at Eltham (Well Hall) Station in the Southern Region British Railways Document Summary The report into the derailment at Eltham in 1972, caused by the intoxicated driver taking a sharp curve at excessive speed. According to his notes, the train passed through Bexleyheath at 21:31, seven minutes behind schedule (estimates showed that Wilsdon had made up at least a minute and a half between Gillingham and Strood) and was running on clear signals. The driver Robert Wilsdon and five passengers were killed, and 126 people were injured. There was an imbalance with the urine alcohol level which made it very likely that the driver had also been drinking alcohol at the controls. June 11, 1972. Eltham Well Hall rail crash explained This occasion aside, the station survived the war years intact. Robertson, concluded that the driver Robert Wilsdon had "grossly impaired his ability to drive safely by drinking a considerable quantity of alcohol both before and after booking on duty, including some shortly before leaving Margate and some more in his cab during the journey.". In the cab, Stokes later recalled that Wilsdon had suddenly shouted in a frightened way at the sight of the curve approaching, to which Stokes immediately braced himself in the seconds that he had available. He had worked with Wilsdon occasionally before and had driven with him a few times prior. Eltham Well Hall rail crash - Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. A public inquiry carried out into the cause of the accident was launched on 12 June 1972 by Colonel John R.H. Robertson that looked into the cause of the derailment. The recommendation that booking-on by telephone be carefully controlled was reiterated in the Inspectorate report of the Cannon Street Station rail crash in 1991. Eltham Well Hall - Kent Rail The station comprised a hybrid of structures: a main building from 1931, a waiting shelter from 1895, and a footbridge from about 1907. Pin on Eltham and Environs - Pinterest Robertson, concluded that the driver Robert Wilsdon had "grossly impaired his ability to drive safely by drinking a considerable quantity of alcohol both before and after booking on duty, including some shortly before leaving Margate and some more in his cab during the journey."[2]. The train was an excursion for Kentish Town-based railway employees of the London Midland Region and their families. Latest Documents Note how the staircase of the footbridge passed through the roof of the canopy. A third smashed bottle found was later proven to have been a medicine bottle and was unlikely to have carried any alcohol at the time of the accident. The only other theory was that Wilsdon had obtained a bottle of spirits at some point, stored it on his person and had drunk it at some point after leaving Margate, and later disposed of the glass by throwing it out the window of the locomotive, with the theory being that Wilsdon either obtained the bottle at some point whilst in Margate or had kept one on his person since he left Rainham for work. All witnesses who saw the driver including the guard, the station staff at both Rainham and Margate, and the depot staff at Ramsgate, observed no signs of intoxication. The first and most serious of these moments was the fact that it was uncertain what had occurred with Wilsdon and his brothers between 14:02 and 17:15 with his brothers both declaring that Wilsdon had not drunk after returning from the pub in Rainham. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. Lessons learned from Cannon Street crash - Rail The Report for the crash was released on 1 June 1973 and it quite clearly showed that the accident was caused entirely by the actions of Robert Wilsdon, in that he had "grossly impaired his ability to drive safely by drinking a considerable quantity of alcohol both before and after booking on duty". The tragedy killed 112 people and injured 300 more and to date is the most catastrophic train crash to happen during peace time in England. This document was published on 1st June 1973 by Department of the Environment. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. This was agreed as there was no evidence to the contrary and it was believed that Wilsdon was travelling to Ramsgate at this time. Transport Libraries An excursion train returning from Margate came off the track on the sharp curve outside the station. This caused both coaches to overturn onto their right side, with the leading end of the second coach coming to a stand in front of the locomotive and the rear of the first coach, which in combination with the fourth coach, formed an "N" shape with the first four coaches. This was a very unusual action, particularly as he had made up almost seven minutes of the lost time. [2], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}512719N 00301E / 51.45536N 0.05019E / 51.45536; 0.05019, Events prior to Wilsdon arriving at Ramsgate, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen, "Railway crash driver survived dismissal", "Accident at Eltham Well Hall on 11th June 1972", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eltham_Well_Hall_rail_crash&oldid=1142297435, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 16:48. ASLEF sided with Wilsdon and General Secretary William Evans sided with Wilsdon. Well Hall - Wikipedia An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. Contributions Lettering on paper caption-sheet stuck on verso of print catalogued. 2004 - 2023 railwaysarchive.co.uk - all rights reserved. Stokes was uncertain on this point but agreed that "Bob could have got one in". Despite this, Wilsdon suggested the pair go to the nearby Railway Staff Association Club at about 19:00 and get a drink to which Stokes agreed, with the pair arriving just in time for the club to open at 19:05. [1] Eltham Well Hall rail crash - en-academic.com In 1927, yet another renaming occurred, the Southern Railway designating the site as Eltham (Well Hall) from 26th September. Six lives were lost including the driver, and 126 people were injured. At 15:22 Wilsdon signed on duty with Hither Green by telephone. He was not suspended for this incident owing to the fact that his superior at Hither Green was busy and then went on leave and as such was not able to speak with Wilsdon until June. This caused both coaches to overturn onto their right side, with the leading end of the second coach coming to a stand in front of the locomotive and the rear of the first coach, which in combination with the fourth coach, formed an "N" shape with the first four coaches. None of the staff were criticised for failing to stop Wilsdon from his duties under the belief he was too drunk and evidence by Wilsdon's father-in-law, brothers and friends confirmed that although Wilsdon did drink heavily, he could "carry" his alcohol well and that the amount of alcohol he drank was not enough to make his drunkenness visible, although the report believed that Wilsdon's actions at Rainham and his reactions at Eltham Well Hall clearly showed that he was beginning to suffer effects of drunkenness. On Sunday 11 June 1972, a day-trip to Margate had been arranged for the employees (and their families) of British Rail's Midland Region based at the North London depot at Kentish Town. In the meantime, the Bexleyheath, Dartford Loop, and North Kent Lines were electrified using the SRs favoured 660-Volts DC third rail system. Stokes and Guard H. Atterbury. 47048), came off the rails. RSS Feeds Further Research The layout was controlled from a signal box positioned beyond the London end of the "down" platform; this was the product of contractor "McKenzie & Holland", which signalled the Bexleyheath Line. In that year, the Greater London Council (GLC) published proposals for the "Rochester Way Relief Road", today known as the "A2". He subsequently gave Wilsdon a stern reprimand and advised him that such behaviour was not acceptable. It had entered the 20 MPH-restricted Well Hall curve at an estimated 65 MPH. Emergency treatment for the driver's injured mate after the crash of an excursion train from Margate outside Well Hall Station, Eltham, London, last night Press Association Photos However, as the train approached Sittingbourne, the train was forced to briefly stop due to signals and it was held again momentarily around Rainham by Signalman Obee who had been forced to open his level crossing to allow a pair of buses through as the train was running late. The guard told the inquiry that after leaving Rainham he had noticed that the train's speed has been "a little bit excessive" and that the driver braked intensely between Gillingham and Chatham. derailment. 125 passengers were injured.[2]. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. All three of these coaches were leaning over on their left sides to various degrees, with the leading end of the fifth coach having been badly damaged by the impact with the fourth coach. The second uncertain moment was what occurred to both him and Stokes during the stop at Margate, in which both seemingly left the station via the Platform No.1 entrance. Wilsdon did not meet with the supervisor at Ramsgate, likely owing to the fact that his was the only Class 47 engine at the depot and would have been easy to find.[2]. An excursion train returning from Margate came off the track on the sharp curve outside the station. Before he could go ask superiors as to where they were, he saw Stokes and Wilsdon return. The curve had a maximum permitted speed to be taken at 20 miles per hour (32km/h) but the train was estimated to have been travelling at 65 miles per hour (105km/h) resulting in the locomotive and all but one of the ten carriages derailing. Shortly thereafter, Wilsdon and Stokes returned and entered the cab preparing for departure, with neither seeming unusual: when Arundell told them to hurry up, Wilsdon calmly noted they could regain lost time on the journey. The empty train left Ramsgate and made an uneventful journey to Margate, arriving at around 19:59. Photograph by Press Association, 1972. "The train was the diesel-hauled 20.05 Margate to Kentish Town excursion train and it comprised ten coaches, well filled with passengers returning from a day's outing at Margate. By the time the train approached Eltham Well Hall station it was running at around 65mph. It was concluded that his eventual response to Wilsdon's behaviour was appropriate. At 19:45 they met with the guard and drove the train to Margate to receive the passengers. His suspension in 1961 was considered a warning sign of Wilsdon's alcoholic tendencies but it was agreed that at the time there was no evidence to disprove Wilsdon's statements that he would better himself and not drink again. The SR also re-faced the platform sides with prefabricated concrete supplied by their factory at Exmouth Junction, Devon. As well as Wilsdon, two passengers died at the scene; a woman later died of her injuries in August and a male likewise in November, bringing the number of fatalities to five. Shortly afterwards, a freight train collided heavily with the wreckage, killing the drivers of both locomotives. Most Wanted At about 15:20 he booked on duty by telephone with Hither Green depot and travelled by train to Ramsgate. Pinterest. None of the staff were criticised for failing to stop Wilsdon from his duties under the belief he was too drunk and evidence by Wilsdon's father-in-law, brothers and friends confirmed that although Wilsdon did drink heavily, he could "carry" his alcohol well and that the amount of alcohol he drank was not enough to make his drunkenness visible, although the report believed that Wilsdon's actions at Rainham and his reactions at Eltham Well Hall clearly showed that he was beginning to suffer effects of drunkenness.
What Planting Zone Is Beaverton Oregon,
Practice Typing Numbers Row,
Pictures Of The Real Eddie Wilson,
Articles E
eltham well hall train crash