Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway
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The Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton railway was a company authorised on 4th August 1845 to construct a railway line from the Oxford and Rugby Railway at Wolvercot Junction to Worcester, Stourbridge, Dudley, and Wolverhampton, with a branch to the Grand Junction Railway at Bushbury. This would be known as the Oxford-Worcester-Wolverhampton Line.
The company was overseen by the Great Western Railway (GWR) from the start, and was taken over by West Midlands Railway not long after the line was completed, which in turn was amalgamated into the GWR in 1862.
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[edit] Problems
The Great Western Railway oversaw the company's project, and Isambard Kingdom Brunel was chief engineer. The company gained a reputation for a lack of loyalty as it not once but twice turned its backs on GWR. Firstly, it signed an agreement to complete the line despite the fact they were severely lacking in funds with the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) and the Midland Railway. This was furiously rejected and GWR sought to have it thrown out, only to offer a similar deal.
The second occurrence of their disloyalty was when they decided to approach the LNWR with a view to connecting to Wolverhampton High-Level instead, with a junction at Tipton. The company was threatened with heavy sanctions unless the line was completed.
On the death of their contractor, Francis Tredwell, work stopped for several years while they entered into long litigation with his family firm over financial claims; it took the intervention of Brunel before they released monies that allowed his brothers to continue work in 1851.
[edit] Accident
- See also: List of pre-1950 rail accidents
According to L. T. C. Rolt the railway was nicknamed the "Old Worse and Worse", and was a "shocking railway". On 23 August 1858 there was a serious accident at Brettel Lane, near Round Oak railway station which resulted in the death and serious injury of 70 people. A Sunday excursion train to Worcester of 45 carriages hauled by two engines suffered catastrophic failures of the couplings on two occasions, ultimately resulting in a third of the carriages running loose and becoming derailed[1]. It was described by Captain Tyler, the Board of Trade inspector, as "Decidedly the worst railway accident that has ever occurred in this country".
[edit] Sources
- ^ The Fatal Accident On The Oxford And Worcester Line The Times Aug 26 1858
- Red for Danger by L. T. C. Rolt, Pan Books, London, 1960, pp 148-151
- National Archives RAIL RAIL 558/861-558/1318 – dispute between Tredwells & OWW railway
