Polmont rail crash

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The Polmont rail crash occurred on 30 July 1984, at Polmont, near Falkirk, Scotland.

During this period Edinburgh to Glasgow trains were operated by British Rail on a push-pull basis with the Class 47 locomotive remaining at one end of a rake of carriages, being controlled remotely by signals sent through the lighting circuits of the train from a cab placed in the front of the leading carriage for this purpose.

The advantage of this system is the reduction in turnaround time at termini as it removes the need to run the locomotive round to the front of the train at each end of the route. The weakness is that in one direction it leaves a carriage at the front of the train. As this is lighter than a locomotive should it collide with anything on the track it will leave the track more readily.

This happened when a shuttle struck a cow which had wandered onto the track near Polmont station. Several of the carriages were derailed, resulting in 13 deaths and 44 injured. The locomotive at the rear of the train stayed on the track.

The locomotive, 47707, was named Holyrood.

As a result of the accident, headlights were placed on the front of trains along with object deflectors, (or "Cow Catchers")