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. This item is linked to the Accident at Eltham Well Hall on 11th June 1972. [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. 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 evidence contradicts that of Wilsdon's brothers who claimed that he had not drunk between 14:02 and 17:15. The locomotive jumped the sharp curve, derailing and rolling onto its left side and sliding through a coal yard. Two of them were the beer bottles that Stationmaster Arundell had seen at Margate and both were confirmed to have been unopened. He was thoroughly critical of Wilsdon's behaviour, describing it as "reprehensible" and "disgraceful". This occasion aside, the station survived the war years intact. 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]. instance of. 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 Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. I am a dreamer who dreams of a world full of Railman Akehurst, who had heard the derailment, immediately called Dartford signal box and reported the derailment. 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. Statistics This accident has been the subject of a published formal accident investigation, which you will find below. 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. "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. At the subsequent public inquiry it was revealed that the driver had been intoxicated by alcohol. The front of the cab was torn open and debris thrown and 'ploughed' inside, killing Wilsdon and severely injuring Stokes. Depending on the status and age of the original document, you may need an OPSI click-use license if you wish to reproduce this material, and other restrictions may apply. Most Wanted 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. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Despite his experience and long time working on the railways, Wilsdon had been reprimanded five times throughout his career. 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. The Bexleyheath line became fully track-circuited at this time and, in the same year, a check rail was laid west from Well Hall station, along what was known as the Well Hall Curve. In the meantime, the Bexleyheath, Dartford Loop, and North Kent Lines were electrified using the SRs favoured 660-Volts DC third rail system. This document was published on 1st June 1973 by Department of the Environment. The incident resulted in four fatalities on site, including the driver, with two further passengers dying of their injuries months later. Guard Atterbury was not criticised whatsoever for his behaviour and it was considered unfortunate that his "splashes" were too weak to gain Wilsdon's attention. At the subsequent public inquiry it was revealed that Wilsdon had been intoxicated by alcohol. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. Before he could go ask superiors as to where they were, he saw Stokes and Wilsdon return. Shortly afterwards, a freight train collided heavily with the wreckage, killing the drivers of both locomotives. 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. 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. 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 fourth coach had ended up roughly 90 degrees to the track, leaning over on its left side. Most Wanted 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. 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. It was suggested at the time that the closure of both existing Eltham stations and the provision of a new, single set of platforms would save British Rail 45,700 (158,400 at 2018 prices) per year in operating costs. The adequacy of the taxonomy is discussed with regards to the socio-technical context of accident reports. He had worked with Wilsdon occasionally before and had driven with him a few times prior. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. "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. injuries= 126The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. 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. Well Hall, Eltham, train crash, 1972: an injured train driver being carried to an ambulance. 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. This was another recommendation that had previously been made - this time in 1972 in the aftermath of the Eltham Well Hall rail crash, in which six people died following a derailment caused by driver Robert . The SR also re-faced the platform sides with prefabricated concrete supplied by their factory at Exmouth Junction, Devon. 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. ASLEF sided with Wilsdon and General Secretary William Evans sided with Wilsdon. 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. 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. The train was an excursion for Kentish Town-based railway employees of the London Midland Region and their families. Pin on Eltham and Environs - Pinterest 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. Closure of Eltham Well Hall and Eltham Park stations was scheduled for Saturday 2nd March 1985, when the new platforms east of the former would be brought into use with a huge interchange with bus services. In that year, the Greater London Council (GLC) published proposals for the "Rochester Way Relief Road", today known as the "A2". Two of them were the beer bottles that Stationmaster Arundell had seen at Margate and both were confirmed to have been unopened. Both brothers confirmed that he had not drunk after leaving the pub and were adamant on this point at the later public inquiry. 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. 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. At the subsequent public inquiry it was revealed that the driver had been intoxicated by alcohol. 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. After arrival at Margate, the train was stabled at Ramsgate. Explore. 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. [1] An excursion train from. Railman Akehurst, who was on duty on the Well Hall platforms, had seen several earlier trains pass through the station and thence the curve, all of them slowing to the safe speed of 20 miles per hour (32km/h) but when he saw the excursion train approaching, he was quite certain it was traveling far beyond that speed. 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. Eltham Well Hall rail crash and Related Topics More like this London History Local History Family History Eltham Palace London Family The Tudor Boy George Lido Abandoned swimming pools A A.M.C.O. 125 passengers were injured.[2]. 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. He had worked with Wilsdon occasionally before and had driven with him a few times prior. Please note that the Railways Archive is not responsible for the content of external websites. 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. It was written by Col. J. R. H. Robertson. Again, he was off-duty at the time and the British Rail was not informed of this occurrence until April. ", -- More Tools -- This caused nine out of 10 carriages to derail, injuring many occupants and killing 6 including the driver. The locomotive and first four coaches left the rails and came to rest at an angle to the track, the second and third coaches on their sides. Stokes was uncertain on this point but agreed that "Bob could have got one in". At no point did Wilsdon even attempt to slow his train beyond having already shut off the engine to coast which was normal at this long downhill sector of the line. For this case study, the available worldwide railway accident data are analysed in order to build taxonomy. The station comprised a hybrid of structures: a main building from 1931, a waiting shelter from 1895, and a footbridge from about 1907. He used the correct telephone and spoke quite clearly and was not at all slurred according to both Fleming and Obee. Stokes had arrived first, having spoken with the supervisor at Ramsgate to ascertain the details of the train. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. It had entered the 20 MPH-restricted Well Hall curve at an estimated 65 MPH. 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. Royal Borough of Greenwich. RSS Feeds 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. Stokes had arrived first, having spoken with the supervisor at Ramsgate to ascertain the details of the train. Well Hall Road, which is one of the key arterial roads between Eltham and Woolwich, is blocked near the junction of Arsenal Road. 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. 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. Eltham Well Hall Rail Crash. June 11, 1972. Pictures by my - Pinterest The empty train left Ramsgate and made an uneventful journey to Margate, arriving at around 19:59. He had been working on the railways since 1958 and was experienced to drive the British Rail Class 47 locomotive, which would occasionally come down from trains in other regions. June 11, 1972. 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. More significant was the opening of "Shooters Hill & Eltham Park" station, a mere 41-chains to the east of Well Hall. At 15:22 Wilsdon signed on duty with Hither Green by telephone. 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 train passed through at high speed without braking and sped into the curve at around 65mph. Well Hall station will be partially covered by the new Rochester Way relief road. In contrast, Stokes claimed that Wilsdon mentioned drinking some sherry when they met at Ramsgate. Arundell believed that they were a gift left by the organisers of the excursion to the engine crew - such being a normal 'tip' for excursion drivers to enjoy off-duty - and he did not question their appearance. [2], The train arrived at Margate and the entrainment of passengers was routine, with boarding complete by 20:04. An excursion train returning from Margate came off the track on the sharp curve outside the station. The original death roll among the passengers was three but one died of her injuries in mid-August and another of his injuries in November. Although Atterbury had been somewhat concerned about excessive speed between Gillingham and Chatham, he stated that Wilsdon had operated appropriately through Dartford. Wilsdon met with his secondman, a youth of 18 years, there. David Glasspool Collection, The main building on the "up" side was a carbon copy of the structure which still exists today at Bexleyheath. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. Railman Akehurst, who was on duty on the Well Hall platforms, had seen several earlier trains pass through the station and thence the curve, all of them slowing to the safe speed of 20mph but when he saw the excursion train approaching, he was quite certain it was traveling far beyond that speed. Date: 1972 Reference: 778393i Pictures About this work Publication/Creation [London] : Press Association, 1972. Touch device users, explore by touch . Contributions 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. 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. 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. Having left Margate eight minutes late and scheduled to run non-stop (aside from a later stop to change crew), Wilsdon was able to run the train at high speed and according to Atterbury's timings, was only a minute late after passing Faversham (24 miles (39km) from Margate). Lettering on paper caption-sheet stuck on verso of print catalogued. The eighth coach was upright but derailed, the ninth coach was derailed at its leading bogie but also upright, and the tenth coach (in which Atterbury had been riding) was upright and on the rails, though some internal damage had occurred. 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. The rear of the coach had been somewhat damaged by the fifth, sixth and seventh coaches passing by it, derailed but still on the track. 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]. Guard Atterbury was 57 and had been a guard since 1948 and was based at London Bridge and although he had worked the Bexleyheath line before, he had never done so on a fast train. Pin on Eltham An intoxicated train driver drove a train at triple the permitted speed around a sharp curve. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Eltham Well Hall rail crash". 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.". Electric services ran again from 6th June 1926, and the full suburban electric timetable through to Dartford commenced on 19th July 1926. The driver Robert Wilsdon and five passengers were killed, and 126 people were injured. At about 15:20 he booked on duty by telephone with Hither Green depot and travelled by train to Ramsgate. Sometime between these two renaming occurrences, the goods yard acquired a five-ton crane. Today. Eltham Well Hall rail crash a train derailedderailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall stationEltham (Well Hall) derailmentLondon-bound train came off the track The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35.wikipedia 47Related Articles [filter] Running slightly late and at Wilsdon's urging, the pair returned to Ramsgate Depot at around 19:40. He was thoroughly critical of Wilsdon's behaviour, describing it as "reprehensible" and "disgraceful". 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. 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. 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. This travel time and distance between Rainham and Hither Green played a key role in the accident that occurred.[2]. derailment. 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. -- More Tools -- 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 incident occurred on 28 March 1969, when Wilsdon was fined 1 for being drunk in Lewisham. Pictures by my father, Reg Godsave. 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. Semi-detached London: Suburban Development, Life and Transport, 1900-39. The secondman may not have been attentive because he had also been drinking, but he did not know the route and would not have realised that the driver was not braking for the curve when he should have been. 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. Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash in pictures: Remembering - MyLondon 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. Latest Documents 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. Rail; . The curve had a maximum permitted speed to be taken at 20mph but the train was estimated to have been travelling at 65mph resulting in the locomotive and all but one of the ten carriages derailing. Emergency services were notified, and arrived between 21:40 and 21:42. 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 report into the derailment at Eltham in 1972, caused by the intoxicated driver taking a sharp curve at excessive speed. 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 recommendation that booking-on by telephone be carefully controlled was reiterated in the Inspectorate report of the Cannon Street Station rail crash in 1991. http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=134, Images of the accident (approximately halfway down the page), https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Eltham_Well_Hall_rail_crash&oldid=202875, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. He briefed the pair on the train's particulars with Wilsdon appearing sober and routine. Eltham Well Hall. Having left Margate eight minutes late and scheduled to run non-stop (aside from a later stop to change crew), Wilsdon was able to run the train at high speed and according to Atterbury's timings, was only a minute late after passing Faversham (24miles from Margate). The curve at Eltham has a speed limit of 20 miles per hour (32km/h), but according to eyewitness accounts, the train entered it whilst travelling at about 65 miles per hour (105km/h). 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". 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. Although it was agreed that the signalling played no part in the collision, it was later agreed that the signals around Eltham Well Hall would be redesigned to slow a train to round the curve rather than remain at green, which would mean it would be less likely a driver would be caught by surprise with the curve. Despite his experience and long time working on the railways, Wilsdon had been reprimanded five times throughout his career. Those who knew the driver said that he was quite a frequent drinker of alcohol and could "carry" much beer. Although Atterbury had been somewhat concerned about excessive speed between Gillingham and Chatham, he stated that Wilsdon had operated appropriately through Dartford. The scheme required the demolition of Well Hall station, for it partially resided on the site required for the trunk road, but also gave rise to the closure of Eltham Park station and the provision of a brand new set of platforms in-between the two. An ambulance was seen landing at the scene and police are also in attendance. Stokes was unable to recall much of what occurred at Margate and Wilsdon died, so it was uncertain as to what had occurred during this period, and although a pub was close to the station, it was considered that they did not have enough time to reach it.

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