eltham well hall train crash

Latest Documents However when approaching Eltham Park railway station he became concerned at the train's apparent speed and more so as it neared Eltham Well Hall, where a sharp curve changed the train's direction from southwest to northwest. The actor Phil Daniels, star of Quadrophenia, Scum, and later EastEnders was aboard one of the derailed coaches with his parents after a day trip. The name "Well Hall" derived from that of a former Tudor mansion, which resided on a site surrounded by a moat, located 160-yards north of the station. The first coach followed the overturned locomotive but remained upright, the coupling failing quite late into the sequence. It seems these splashes were too late and light to register in the cab. A 24-year-old man was cut free from wreckage crushing his head and abdomen and died from a heart attack on the way to hospital. The report into the derailment at Eltham in 1972, caused by the intoxicated driver taking a sharp curve at excessive speed. This seaside excursion train derailed on a bend outside Well Hall station, Eltham, South London on June 11th, 1972 killing at least 4 people and. This travel time and distance between Rainham and Hither Green played a key role in the accident that occurred.[2]. Eltham Well Hall Rail Crash 1972 Find this Pin and more on Eltham photos by Nigel. After arrival at Margate, the train was stabled at Ramsgate. It had entered the 20 MPH-restricted Well Hall curve at an estimated 65 MPH. Railman Fleming, who was on duty at the platform and knew Wilsdon well, saw the train arrive and asked Wilsdon if it had broken down (owing to the clear signal visible from the platform), to which Wilsdon merely said "No" and jumped down from his cab before walking to a telephone on the platform to speak with Obee. In the background can be seen the structures of the replacement station, today's "Eltham", taking shape. 2004 - 2023 railwaysarchive.co.uk - all rights reserved. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Statistics According to them, the three returned home and spent the afternoon indoors with the children until Robert was driven by one of his brothers to Rainham station at around 17:15. Two bottles of beer given to the crew by the excursion's organisers were found in the cab, but they were unopened. An excursion train from. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. The next five coaches were derailed but the 10th, in which the guard was riding, was not. Despite his experience and long time working on the railways, Wilsdon had been reprimanded five times throughout his career. 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. Please consider donating to help with our running costs. The pair had three pints of light and bitter each with Wilsdon possibly drinking another half pint of light ale, according to the evidence of club staff who served him. On a cloudy but dry evening, shortly before dusk and in good visibility and running under clear colour light signals over a route with easily identifiable landmarks, the driver failed to take any braking action to reduce his train's speed on the steeply falling gradient through Eltham Park to Eltham (Well Hall) in preparation for its entering the 12 chain radius right hand curve just beyond Well Hall station, the speed round which is permanently restricted to 20 mph. Its nameplates were salvaged, and transferred to No. Decline at Well Hall started when the goods yard ceased to handle coal traffic, in December 1964, followed four years later by the withdrawal of public goods facilities on 7th October 1968. Eltham,Well,Hall,rail,crashThe,Eltham,Well,Hall,rail,crash,was,an,accident,on,the,British,railway,system,that,occurred,on,11,June,1972,at,approximately,21:35. RSS Feeds 1973 . 0 references. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Eltham Well Hall rail crash". instance of. The locomotive . Wilsdon and Stokes were to sign on duty at Hither Green in person by 15:42 to catch a train as passengers to Ramsgate, transferring at Dartford. This did not occur, and the two met up at Ramsgate Depot by the locomotive at around 18:25. 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 crew left the cab for a few minutes and as a result the train departed from Margate eight minutes late. Here, Wilsdon drank two pints of light and bitter and a half pint of light ale which was confirmed by his brothers who'd drunk similarly. 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 derailed train came to a halt very close to an electrical sub-station powering the third-rail for electric multiple unit trains and this had immediately short-circuited. Approaching Eltham Park he became so concerned at the speed that he made two quick applications of the vacuum brake to try to draw the driver's attention, but before he could get a reaction it was too late. However, this evidence was contradicted by a later statement made by Secondman Stokes that when they met at Ramsgate, Wilsdon told Stokes that he had "ended up going somewhere and drinking some sherry". The journey was normal until the train stopped for signals at Rainham, whereafter the driver made an unscheduled stop in the station to telephone the signalman and ask about another excursion train that they were due to pass some distance ahead. Emergency services were notified, and arrived between 21:40 and 21:42. He had worked with Wilsdon occasionally before and had driven with him a few times prior. The rear end of the first coach came to rest up against the leading cab. Both Wilsdon and his colleague were reinstated on 18 December 1961, with Wilsdon being promoted to driver less than a week later on 25 December with his transfer to Hither Green. He had worked with Wilsdon a few times before and considered him an experienced driver. [1] At 19:45 they met with the guard and drove the train to Margate to receive the passengers. 6635 documents9207 accidentsUpdated 24th Apr. It also meant that his Supervisors at Hither Green would not see him in person. The mansion was demolished in 1733, save for a barn, and replaced by a smaller property located outside of the moat. Latest Documents Exactly where the pair went in this period is unknown owing to Wilsdon's death and Stokes having little recollection of the events after leaving Ramsgate and although another pub was close to the station, it was considered that neither had time to reach it. Both men were subsequently suspended shortly afterwards, against which Wilsdon immediately appealed, claiming that the event was an isolated incident. 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. [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. Two of them were the beer bottles that Stationmaster Arundell had seen at Margate and both were confirmed to have been unopened. Although uncertain, it seems that Wilsdon believed that the two stoppages that occurred to his train at Sittingbourne and Rainham and having not seen the first excursion train at Newington, was because the first train was running slowly and kept stopping his train. The train passed through at high speed without braking and sped into the curve at around 65mph. Here, Wilsdon drank two pints of light and bitter and a half pint of light ale which was confirmed by his brothers who'd drunk similarly. This evidence contradicts that of Wilsdon's brothers who claimed that he had not drunk between 14:02 and 17:15. money train crash mexico train crash 2,339 Train Crash Premium Video Footage Browse 2,339 train crash videos and clips available to use in your projects, or search for money train crash or mexico train crash to find more footage and b-roll video clips. Further Reading 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. Initial reports suggest a person was hit by a motorbike. However, changes were made to the signalling at Eltham so that through trains would receive a yellow signal on approach. The "up" platform still had vintage style benches, and it is evident that a window had been bricked up in that wall of the main building nearest the camera. A post-mortem examination of Wilsdon showed that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.278% (the legal limit for driving a road vehicle in England at that time was 0.08%). Compliments. By the time the train approached Eltham Well Hall station it was running at around 65mph. However, this evidence was contradicted by a later statement made by Secondman Stokes that when they met at Ramsgate, Wilsdon told Stokes that he had "ended up going somewhere and drinking some sherry". The actor Phil Daniels, star of Quadrophenia, Scum, and later EastEnders was aboard one of the derailed coaches with his parents after a day trip.[1]. 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. This document was published on 1st June 1973 by Department of the Environment. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. 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. The overgrown area behind the fence on the right was formerly the goods yard. A member of staff on the platform at this time noted that he had seen both Stokes and Wilsdon depart the locomotive and leave the station via Platform No.1 three minutes after having arrived at Margate and this was later compared with the timings made by Guard Atterbury, who recorded a 20:13 departure from Margate (eight minutes late) noting that both Stokes and Wilsdon were absent. Exactly where the pair went in this period is unknown owing to Wilsdon's death and Stokes having little recollection of the events after leaving Ramsgate and although another pub was close to the station, it was considered that neither had time to reach it.[2]. At about 15:20 he booked on duty by telephone with Hither Green depot and travelled by train to Ramsgate. 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. Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen, Railway accident : Report on the Derailment that occurred on 11 June 1972 at Eltham (Well Hall) Station in the Southern Region, British Railways, Accident at Eltham Well Hall on 11th June 1972. He claimed that he was going to head directly to Ramsgate from Rainham and said that he had to catch an earlier train from Rainham (the 15:32 instead of the 15:42, which was not running on Sundays) and therefore asked Hither Green if he could be considered on-duty from 15:12. Although Robertson could not confirm Stokes' statements, he considered it likely that Wilsdon had drunk after 14:02 owing to the smell on Wilsdon's breath at Rainham several hours later and, whilst not explicitly accusing Wilsdon's brothers of lying, considered that anybody who tried to hide evidence of Wilsdon's drinking that day "did him a disservice". The second and third coach followed the first coach until relatively late into the derailment, with the coupling between the first and second failing around the end of the derailment. Before he could go ask superiors as to where they were, he saw Stokes and Wilsdon return. From 1st October 1916, the station was known as Well Hall and North Eltham. Of these penalties, three were fairly minor isolated offences (unauthorised absence in October 1960, persistent lateness in February 1961 and a "relatively minor driving offence" in February 1963) but two were serious offences, one of which resulted in a temporary suspension. In contrast, Stokes claimed that Wilsdon mentioned drinking some sherry when they met at Ramsgate. There are currently no news items related to this accident. In the meantime, the Bexleyheath, Dartford Loop, and North Kent Lines were electrified using the SRs favoured 660-Volts DC third rail system. Both brothers confirmed that he had not drunk after leaving the pub and were adamant on this point at the later public inquiry. By 1972 he was married with young children and living in Rainham, Kent - which meant he would usually have to make an almost two hour rail commute to his depot at Hither Green. The public inquiry into the accident eleven years later agreed that this incident was a seemingly isolated occurrence and all had reason to believe Wilsdon; the Line Manager who reinstated the two was not criticised for this approach, although some criticism was given to the Management in 1961 for promoting Wilsdon so quickly after being reinstated. Whilst it was agreed that it was a fairly common occurrence in the Southern Region and British Rail had adopted a policy where certain drivers could be granted need to book on via telephone (typically those either living far from depots or those whose duties commenced far from their depots). 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 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. The last train to call at Eltham Park and Well Hall stations was the 23:43 Charing Cross to Dartford. His speech was clear and his gait was normal. An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. At 15:22 Wilsdon signed on duty with Hither Green by telephone. Owing to the large number of day-trippers booked for this customary annual works-outing, a pair of excursion trains were laid on to transport them to Margate and back. 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. The same design came into use at all three stations: a single-storey red brick structure with a hipped tiled roof, complemented with an upward-sloping canopy with plain valance. I am a dreamer who dreams of a world full of In contrast, Stokes claimed that Wilsdon mentioned drinking some sherry when they met at Ramsgate. He later commented to Stokes a joking complaint about the driver of the first excursion train, calling him a "slow bastard". An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. A concrete-lined cutting accommodating a dual-carriageway was envisaged, this of which would run parallel with the Bexleyheath Line for about a mile in the vicinity of Eltham, before passing under the railway at Well Hall. [1] Again, he was off-duty at the time and British Rail was not informed of this occurrence until April. He immediately tried to signal to the driver to stop but was unable to gain Wilsdon's attention. David Glasspool Collection. He stated that he was thoroughly ashamed and that he had been celebrating a promotion to the position of Passed Fireman with his colleague who greatly assisted him. After the crossing was cleared, he set the route for the train to proceed but instead, the train came to a stop at the platform. In the Electric Railway Society Journal in 1981, the following was reported: Eltham Well Hall station is to be replaced by a massive bus/rail interchange at Glenlea Road. Date: 1972 Reference: 778393i Pictures About this work Publication/Creation [London] : Press Association, 1972. Stokes was uncertain on this point but agreed that "Bob could have got one in". By contrast to this, secondman Stokes arrived at Hither Green, signed on duty in person at around 15:12 and was instructed by the Supervisor to travel on the 15:32 train and try to meet Wilsdon on the train. "Well Hall", as the station was first known, was the subject of two closure attempts during its lifetime - the second of which succeeded - and came into use with the 8-mile Bexleyheath Line on 1st May 1895. 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. Before he could go ask superiors as to where they were, he saw Stokes and Wilsdon return. He used the correct telephone and spoke quite clearly and was not at all slurred according to both Fleming and Obee. I much regret to report that five passengers in the train and its driver lost their lives and that 126 people, including the secondman on the locomotive, were injured and were either taken to hospitals in the area or received medical attention at the site of the accident: 40 of those taken to hospital were detained, some of them being very seriously injured. Along this paper, the methodology is exemplified on a specific accident: the derailments caused by over-speed in curve. Computations later proved that the driver had apparently shut off power where required, but had not made a brake application. The latter had a twelve-chain radius, curving sharply to the right after Well Hall station for the 1 in 75 descent towards Kidbrooke, and had a permanent speed restriction of 20 MPH. On Sunday 11th June 1972 at 21:36, disaster struck. 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. This caused nine out of 10 carriages to derail, injuring many occupants and killing 6 including the driver. Copyright Info. The fourth coach had ended up roughly 90 degrees to the track, leaning over on its left side. It also meant that his Supervisors at Hither Green would not see him in person. Touch device users, explore by touch . The driver Robert Wilsdon and five passengers were killed, and 126 people were injured. A track foot crossing for staff remained in place, this of which was situated roughly midway down the platforms and required climbing on small steps to access. This occasion aside, the station survived the war years intact. Stokes was 18 years old and had been working on the railways for almost two years at the time of the accident, having been based at Hither Green this entire time. Press Association. A second trailing crossover between the running lines had been installed 50-yards east of the platforms, and the goods yard acquired a further two sidings and a shed (although, as per that at Bexleyheath, rails did not pass through it). He stated that he was thoroughly ashamed and that he had been celebrating a promotion to the position of Passed Fireman with his colleague who greatly assisted him. Website & Copyright information - Links - Contact the Webmaster, All content is copyright David Glasspool unless otherwise stated. [2], The train arrived at Margate and the entrainment of passengers was routine, with boarding complete by 20:04. Both men were subsequently suspended shortly afterwards, against which Wilsdon immediately appealed, claiming that the event was an isolated incident. 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. Notable survivors of the 1931 rebuilding at all three stations mentioned were the SER timber waiting shelters. Of these penalties, three were fairly minor isolated offences (unauthorised absence in October 1960, persistent lateness in February 1961 and a "relatively minor driving offence" in February 1963) but two were serious offences, one of which resulted in a temporary suspension. His speech was clear and his gait was normal. This procedure was considered practical and was allowed to remain in use, but it was agreed that the method Wilsdon used (where he casually booked on duty and for his own benefit of gaining two additional hours' pay by booking on at 15:22 instead of around 17:00 when he actually did leave home for work) was not appropriate and was to be stopped or prevented wherever possible. Photograph by Press Association, 1972. Although Atterbury had been somewhat concerned about excessive speed between Gillingham and Chatham, he stated that Wilsdon had operated appropriately through Dartford. There was an imbalance with the urine alcohol level which made it very likely that the driver had also been drinking alcohol within an hour of his death, meaning it was possible he had been drinking at the controls. Well Hall Road, which is one of the key arterial roads between Eltham and Woolwich, is blocked near the junction of Arsenal Road. good people helping eachother, Ilford rail crash, Ealing rail crash, Wembley Central rail crash, Cannon Street station rai, Spa Road Junction rail crash. He briefed the pair on the train's particulars with Wilsdon appearing sober and routine. Most Wanted 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 item is linked to the Accident at Eltham Well Hall on 11th June 1972. Well Hall is a place to the north of Eltham in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in southeast London, England, with no present formal boundaries and located 13.5 km (8.4 mi) east-southeast of Charing Cross. Since 1969, Wilsdon had had a clean record with no reprimands. When Stokes boarded the engine, he waited alone in the cab until around 18:25 when Wilsdon arrived and spoke about the preparations for the journey back to London. 2004 - 2023 railwaysarchive.co.uk - all rights reserved. Those who knew the driver said that he was quite a frequent drinker of alcohol and could "carry" much beer. 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. At this time, Well Hall gained concrete lampposts with the SRs trademark hexagonal lampshades. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. He subsequently gave Wilsdon a stern reprimand and advised him that such behaviour was not acceptable. In reality, Wilsdon did not leave for Rainham station until 17:15 and as such his move was solely to gain pay for an extra two hours for which he had not actually been on duty. The Inspecting Officer, Colonel J.R.H. The structure sat at milepost 9 from Charing Cross. Eltham Well Hall station is to be replaced by a massive bus/rail interchange at Glenlea Road. The empty train left Ramsgate and made an uneventful journey to Margate, arriving at around 19:59. The outbound journeys left Kentish Town around 0830, were completed uneventfully and the trains stabled at Ramsgate as planned. Please see this explanation for further details. Further modernisation was the order of the day in 1931, when stations at Bexleyheath, Welling, and Eltham (Well Hall) were rebuilt. 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. Shortly after leaving Rainham, Atterbury noted that the speed seemed "a little bit excessive" and that Wilsdon had been braking intensely between Gillingham and Chatham railway station. There was an imbalance with the urine alcohol level which made it very likely that the driver had also been drinking alcohol within an hour of his death, meaning it was possible he had been drinking at the controls. Semi-detached London: Suburban Development, Life and Transport, 1900-39. Between the footbridge and the new station structures, on the left, can just been seen the exit from the "down" platform to Well Hall Road. An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. A member of staff on the platform at this time noted that he had seen both Stokes and Wilsdon depart the locomotive and leave the station via Platform No.1 three minutes after having arrived at Margate and this was later compared with the timings made by Guard Atterbury, who recorded a 20:13 departure from Margate (eight minutes late) noting that both Stokes and Wilsdon were absent.
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