Rail accidents in Winsford

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There have been three major rail accidents near Winsford in Cheshire:

1 1948 accident
2 1962 accident - Coppenhall Junction
3 1999 accident
4 See also
5 References
6 Notes

[edit] 1948 accident

On 17 April 1948, 24 people died when a passenger train was stopped after the communication cord was pulled, and was run into by a following postal express. The signalman at Winsford station had, in error, reported the passenger train clear of the section and accepted the postal train.^[1]

[edit] 1962 accident - Coppenhall Junction

Photograph showing the rear two coaches of the Liverpool train having telescoped

On the evening of 26 December 1962, cold weather and snow in and around Crewe had caused points to become frozen and trains were being detained at signals. Approximately midway between Winsford and Crewe, the 13:30 Glasgow Central to London Euston was stopped at a signal but the driver found the telephone to Coppenhall Junction, the next signal box ahead, out of order. Seeing the next signal ahead he decided to proceed down towards it and use the telephone there, but in the darkness failed to notice the 16:45 express from Liverpool to Birmingham standing on the line ahead and collided with it at about 20mph.^[2]

The rear coaches of the Liverpool train were badly damaged in the collision, some of them being telescoped.^[3] 18 passengers were killed and 34 were injured.

[edit] 1999 accident

On 23 June 1999, a Virgin Trains electric express train from London Euston to Glasgow Central ran into an empty four-carriage Pacer unit, injuring 31 people. The express had been travelling at about 110 mph, but driver Roy Eccles noticed the Pacer on the line and was able to decelerate to about 50 mph at the time of impact. Eccles was awarded a medal for his prompt action, which averted a much more serious accident.

The Pacer had passed a signal at danger and run through a set of points, coming to a stand on the line on which the express was approaching. Its rear cab was destroyed in the crash along with a section of the passenger accommodation, and the coach bodies were displaced from their underframes.