List of Great Western Railway accidents Great Western Railway accidents

this list includes notable accidents on railways later amalgamated great western railway.

sonning cutting, 24 december 1841 – 10 killed, 17 injured: train ran landslide caused heavy rain.
on 27 june 1849, boiler of hercules class locomotive goliah exploded whilst hauling freight train @ plympton on south devon railway. 1 person killed.
in 1850, excursion train collided horsebox @ wootton bassett, wiltshire. following accident, trap points , scotch blocks provided @ sidings leading onto running lines.
on 28 november 1852, passenger train derailed @ gatcombe, gloucestershire.
grove viaduct, 6 may 1859 – 2 days after opening of cornwall railway train derailed near st germans , fell off viaduct killing 3 of train crew.
on 5 november 1868, 4-4-0 locomotive rob roy in rear-end collision cattle train @ awse junction, near newnham, gloucestershire.
menheniot, 2 december 1873 (cornwall railway) – head-on collision on single line; no casualties: misunderstood signalman s verbal order.
shipton-on-cherwell, 24 december 1874; 34 killed, 69 injured: carriage tyre broke, derailed train on bridge on canal.
on 16 february 1880, freight train derailed when ran large rock had fallen onto line 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) south of chepstow, monmouthshire.
on 12 november 1890, boat train in collision freight train @ norton fitzwarren, somerset due errors guard of freight train , signalman. ten people killed , 9 injured.
on 8 march 1891, locomotive of relief passenger train derailed near camborne, cornwall in blizzard conditions.
on 12 november 1894, passenger train derailed @ yetminster, dorset when treack damaged flooding.
on 13 april 1895, double-headed passenger train derailed between doublebois , bodmin road, cornwall due damaged track.
menheniot, 9 february 1897 – reconstruction of coldrennick viaduct: workman s platform fell: 12 killed.
menheniot, 15 november 1897 – reconstruction of trevido viaduct: accident raising heavy timber: 2 killed.
in 1898, mail train derailed near penryn, cornwall due defective track , oscillation of locomotive hauling it. following accident, 3521 class locomotives rebuilt tender locomotives.






in 1898 walter peart , henry dean driver , fireman of great western train known windsor express. on 18 july 1898, driving 4:15 train windsor paddington when, outside acton, connecting rod broke. part of driven through boiler casing , caused damage firebox overwhelmed men cinders, steam , fire. succeeded in applying brake , bringing train safe standstill before leaving engine @ acton station.
on 16 june 1900, express passenger train overran signals , crashed rear of passenger train @ slough, berkshire. 5 people killed , 35 injured.
in 1904, express passenger train derailed @ loughor, glamorgan due excessive speed. 5 people killed , eighteen injured.
thingley junction, 16 january 1907 – signal passed @ danger: 0 killed, 12 injured.
on 8 august 1913, train overran signals , in rear-end collision passenger train @ yeovil pen mill station, somerset. 2 people killed.
on 17 june 1914, excursion train departed reading station, berkshire against signals. express passenger train in sidelong collision it, killing 1 person.
abermule (cambrian railways), 26 january 1921 – 17 killed, 36 injured; head-on collision on single line, inattention proper procedures.
on 3 january 1925, freight train derailed @ tir phil, glamorgan when trackbed washed away.
on 4 march 1933, passenger train struck falling rocks @ vriog, merionethshire. locomotive , tender pushed irish sea, killing both crew.
on 15 january 1936, freight train became divided near shrivenham, berkshire. due errors guard , signalman, express passenger train crashed 6 wagons had neen left behind. 2 people killed.
on 1 march 1937, passenger train in collision freight train @ langley, buckinghamshire. 1 person killed , 6 people injured.
on 16 november 1937, steam railcar overran signals , crashed signal box @ ealing broadway, middlesex.
on 19 august 1938, passenger train sent siding @ newport high street station, monmouthshire due signalman s error. 3 people injured.
norton fitzwarren, 4 november 1940 – 27 killed: driver misunderstood signal layout, drove off track.
on 2 july 1941, express passenger train , freight train in head-on collision @ slough, berkshire. 5 people killed , 21 injured.




^ hewison, christian h. (1983). locomotive boiler explosions. newton abbot: david & charles. pp. 30–31. isbn 0 7153 8305 1. 
^ hall, stanley (1990). railway detectives. london: ian allan. p. 25. isbn 0 7110 1929 0. 
^ earnshaw, alan (1990). trains in trouble: vol. 6. penryn: atlantic books. pp. 2, 4, 7. isbn 0-906899-37-0. 
^ bennett, alan (1990). great western railway in east cornwall. cheltenham: runpast publishing. isbn 1-870754-11-5. 
^ trevena, arthur (1980). trains in trouble. vol. 1. redruth: atlantic books. pp. 8–11, 38–41. isbn 0-906899-01-x. 
^ hoole, ken (1982). trains in trouble: vol. 3. redruth: atlantic books. p. 7. isbn 0-906899-05-2. 
^ holgate, mike (2006). murder , mystery on great western railway. tiverton: halsgrove. isbn 1-84114-556-4. 
^ price, john (2014). everyday heroism: victorian constructions of heroic civilian. london: bloomsbury. p. 8. isbn 978-1-4411066-5-0. 
^ trevena, arthur (1981). trains in trouble: vol. 2. redruth: atlantic books. pp. 10, 23. isbn 0-906899-03-6. 
^ accident @ thingley junction on 16th january 1907 . railways archive. retrieved 29 april 2014. 
^ hoole, ken (1983). trains in trouble: vol. 4. truro: atlantic books. pp. 4, 17, 24. isbn 0-906899-07-9. 
^ hall 1990, p. 75
^ earnshaw, alan (1991). trains in trouble: vol. 7. penryn: atlantic books. p. 27. isbn 0-906899-50-8. 
^ earnshaw, alan (1989). trains in trouble: vol. 5. penryn: atlantic books. p. 29. isbn 0-906899-35-4.