Notable accidents Great Western Railway accidents

.jc bourne print of sonning cutting in 1846, close scene of 1842 accident.

in common other railway companies, gwr experienced accidents throughout history, 1 of serious being sonning cutting accident in december 1842. 9 workmen killed when train hit landslip. accident occurred in hours of 24 december 1841 in sonning cutting, near reading, in berkshire, luggage train travelling london paddington bristol entered cutting. train comprised broad-gauge locomotive hecla , tender, 3 third-class passenger waggons , heavily laden goods waggons. passenger waggons between tender , goods waggons. recent heavy rain had saturated soil in cutting causing slip, covering line on train travelling. on running slipped soil engine derailed, , passenger waggons crushed between goods waggons , tender. 8 passengers died @ scene , sixteen injured, 1 of whom died later in hospital.

the accident had important repercussions because led railway regulation act 1844. william ewart gladstone introduced bill regulate way passengers transported, such protection of third-class passengers, , introduce greater government control of growing network. act established parliamentary train fares limited statute.

shipton-on-cherwell train crash,

christmas eve 1874

the serious accident however, occurred on 24 december 1874, when double-headed passenger train paddington birkenhead derailed near kidlington north of oxford , 34 passengers killed. shipton-on-cherwell train crash caused fracture of single wheel on old carriage behind locomotive s tender. carriage continued upright until drivers saw had happened , applied brakes. following carriages crushed old waggon , thrown off track, rest of train behind. locomotives travelled distance before drivers realised had happened , returned rescue efforts.

the investigation followed led william yolland , established root causes quickly. tyre on old carriage, , of obsolete design. fracture started @ rivet hole, possibly metal fatigue, although not recognised such inquiry. weather cold day, snow blanketing fields , low freezing temperatures, factor hastened tyre failure. disaster led re-appraisal of braking methods , systems, , eventual adoption of continuous automatic brakes being fitted trains, based either on westinghouse air brake or vacuum brake. railway inspectorate recommended mansell wheels, type of wooden composite wheel, adopted railway companies since design had better safety record alternatives. there had been long history of failed wheels involved in serious accidents, in previous decade. critical of communication method between locomotive , rest of train using external cord , gong, suggesting telegraphic method adopted instead.

the shipton disaster came in period, 1870s, when railway accidents @ peak, never equalled before or since. national network had grown enormously basic equipment had been neglected, , old equipment kept in service when should have been scrapped years before. sequence of railway tragedies ended tay rail bridge disaster of 1879, accidents continued, although @ lower level.