| Eccles rail crash 1941 | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 30 December 1941 |
| Time | 08:18 |
| Location | Eccles, Lancashire |
| Country | England |
| Rail line | Liverpool to Manchester Line |
| Cause | Signal passed at danger, fog, error in working practices |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Deaths | 23 |
| Injuries | 57 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
The 1941 Eccles rail crash occurred on 30 December 1941 at the east end of the station at Eccles, Lancashire, in northern England. A westbound train passed danger signals in fog during the wartime blackout, and collided at about 30 mph with an eastbound train traversing a crossover; 23 people were killed. A major contributory cause was that the signalman had erroneously suspended "fog working", which would give greater distances between trains, due to a misunderstanding about whether fogmen were on duty. The fog was worsened by the nearby Manchester Ship Canal and visibility was as low as 10 yards.[1]