Rail accidents at Morpeth
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The town of Morpeth in Northumberland, England has what is reputed to be the most severe curve on any railway main line in Britain. The track turns almost 90° from a northerly to an easterly direction immediately south of Morpeth Station, on an otherwise fast section of the East Coast Main Line railway.[1] This was a major factor in three serious derailments between 1969 and 1994. The curve has a permanent speed restriction of 50mph (80km/h).
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[edit] 1969 derailment
On 7 May 1969 a northbound sleeping car express train from London to Aberdeen derailed on the curve. Six people were killed, 21 were injured and the roof of the station's northbound platform was damaged. The train had been travelling at 80 miles per hour (130 km/h). The driver had apparently allowed his attention to wander because he was thinking about an official letter that he had been handed when booking on duty, asking for an explanation of time lost on a previous journey.[2] The investigation into this accident led to the implementation of alerts for major speed restrictions via the Automatic Warning System.[3] However, despite the recommendation for this system stemming from the accident at Morpeth and the common reference to the 'Morpeth warnings', the gradually stepped speed restriction for the Morpeth curve did not meet the guidelines for this system and it was not installed until at least after the 1984 derailment.[4]
[edit] 1984 derailment
Another sleeping car express, this time a southbound Aberdeen to London service, was derailed at the same location on 24 June 1984. There were no fatalities, but 29 passengers and 6 train crew were injured. Two houses narrowly escaped being demolished by the scattering carriages. The train was estimated to have been travelling at 85 to 90mph.[5]
The driver involved in this accident, a Mr. Allen, was prosecuted for being under the influence of alcohol, but acquitted after what was described by the Expert Witness Institute as an ambush defence.[6] Driver Allen had consumed alcohol both before and after booking on duty, but the defence countered that he suffered from bronchitis and had in the past experienced severe coughing fits that had caused him to fall unconscious.
[edit] 1992 accident
A further accident, unrelated to the Morpeth curve, occurred on 13 November 1992, when a collision between two freight trains at Morpeth led to one fatality. A Class 56 locomotive ran into the back of a pipe train. The cab of the locomotive was crushed and the driver was killed. The accident occurred during engineering work and was the result of the locomotive driver and the signaller at Morpeth failing to come to a clear understanding concerning required movements.[7]
[edit] 1994 derailment
On 27 June 1994 an express parcels train crashed at the curve. The locomotive and the majority of carriages overturned, without fatalities, but causing injury to the driver. As with the 1969 and 1984 accidents, the train had been travelling at 80mph (130km/h). The Health and Safety Executive estimate that trains will overturn at above 75 mph (120 km/h), and noted that "Morpeth 1994 was a very serious event, which could easily have been fatal".[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Multimap.com - aerial photograph of the location
- ^ Robertson, J.R.H.:"Report on the Derailment that occurred on 7th May, 1969 at Morpeth", paragraphs 60, 69-70.
- ^ Robertson, paragraphs 71-77.
- ^ Townsend-Rose, A.G.: "Report on the Derailment that occurred on 24th June 1984 at Morpeth", paragraphs 9, 104.
- ^ Townsend-Rose, paragraphs 48-56, 103.
- ^ Expert Witness instutite - Newsletter, Autumn 2004
- ^ 1992 Accident Report
- ^ Health and Safety Executive notice on Network Rail speed limits
[edit] Further reading
Hall, Stanley (1987). Danger Signals. Ian Allan.
