Railway accidents in Western Australia

Western Australia has had very few accidents where paying passengers have been seriously injured or killed, while railway employees have had more significant numbers. There is a comprehensive list containing the names of around 250 railway employees killed while on duty in Western Australia between 1879 and 2007 on the Rail Heritage of WA website.[1]

Fatalities

Poison Gully, 1904

On 1 August 1904 a railway bridge wrecked by a washaway resulted in the death of the locomotive's two crew in charge of an empty goods train.[2] A memorial to the crew is in Midland.[3] [4]

Wokalup (Mornington Mills), 1920

On 6 November 1920 nine people killed in a timber train crash.[5][6]

Korrelocking (Wyalkatchem), 1928

August 1928 derailment in the Merredin to Wyalkatchem section of the Eastern Railway, seven injured and one resultant fatality.[7]

Hines Hill, 1996

On 14 January 1996 two people killed in AN10 collision at Hines Hill. One was the driver. The other was a young boy.

Accidents with injuries only

Mundijong, 1968

On 20 April 1968 two crew were injured when a two shunting engines collided with a goods train.[8]

Zanthus, 1999

Twenty people injured when the Indian Pacific hit a stationary freight train 250 km east of Kalgoorlie at Zanthus.[9]

Kalgoorlie, 2007

At 1915 on Monday 14 May 2007 a south-west bound Australian Railroad Group mineral train collided with a south-east bound motor vehicle which was traversing the Chapple Street level crossing in Kalgoorlie, WA. The driver of the car sustained minor injuries, the train drivers were uninjured.[10]

Golden Ridge, 2009

At approximately 1031 on Friday 30 January 2009, freight train 5PS6, operated by Pacific National (PN), derailed near Golden Ridge, about 43 km east of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. The two locomotives, the crew van and 18 wagons (including 7 multiple platform freight wagons) derailed. There were only minor injuries to the train crew as a result of the derailment. However, there was significant damage to the derailed rolling stock and about 200 m of track was destroyed.[11]

Jaurdi, 2011

At about 1308 on 28 March 2011 a collision involving freight train 7SP3 and a track mounted excavator occurred near Jaurdi. The train driver sustained a minor injury. There was moderate damage to the lead locomotive and the excavator, and minor damage to the track as a result of the incident.[12]

Guilford, 2011

On 7 November 2011 a car was hit at the Meadow Street level crossing near the Stirling Arms Hotel. The driver of the car suffered minor injuries.[13]

Haig, 2012

At about 1720 WST on 24 May 2012, two road/rail vehicles collided at Haig WA which is on the Nullarbor Plain (1330 km from Coonamia SA and about 280 km west of the WA/SA border). Initial reports indicate that a track worker was seriously injured when one road/rail vehicle was in the process of taking-off the rail track at Haig and a road/rail truck from the same maintenance crew collided with it. Another track worker was injured but not seriously.[14]

Other Accidents

Jarnadup, 1920

On 5 July 1920 a train was derailed when the track spread. Aboard the train was Prince Edward (the future King of England – King Edward). The last two carriages (the Prince was in the last carriage) toppled over a 1.5 metre embankment. The Prince was unhurt.[15]

Stewart, 2007

At about 0400 on 17 August 2007, the 48th wagon of Australian Railroad Group iron ore train 6413 derailed on a right-hand curve in a cutting 595.9 km from Perth in the Stewart to Bonnie Vale section of the Defined Interstate Rail Network in Western Australia. Thirty one wagons in total were derailed and 25 of those wagons were seriously damaged. There were no injuries. The track sustained significant damage and was closed for 4 days.[16]

Hines Hill, 2008

At about 14151 on 10 March 2008, train 6MP9 was carrying containerised general freight from Melbourne to Perth when it derailed 11 wagons near Hines Hill in Western Australia. Although there were dangerous goods on the train, they were not involved in the derailment.[17]

Loongana, 2008

At about 1655 on Tuesday 11 November 2008, freight train 2PM6 derailed on the Nullarbor Plain approximately 11 km west of Loongana in Western Australia. There were no injuries as a result of the derailment but there was significant damage to rolling stock and track.[18]

Moorine Rock, 2009

At about 15401 on 23 March 2009, freight train 7GP1 collided with a school bus after the bus drove onto, and became stuck on, an excavated section of railway track at the Nulla Nulla South Road level crossing near Moorine Rock, Western Australia. There were no injuries as a result of the collision but there was significant damage to the school bus.[19]

Goddards Siding, 2010

At about 1603 on Tuesday 28 December 2010, freight train 1MP5 derailed on the Trans Australian Railway Line approximately 240 km east of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. There were no injuries as a result of the derailment but there was significant damage to rolling stock and track.[20]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Railway employees killed while on duty". Rail Heritage WA. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  2. ↑ Pearce, Kenn (2000). Australian Railway Disasters. IPL Books. p. 32. "WESTERN AUSTRALIA.". The Sydney Morning Herald (National Library of Australia). 18 August 1904. p. 7. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  3. ↑ Austin, Jeff.(2004) Poison Gully disaster, 1904. (Geer, George and Lyons, William J.) Westland, Aug 2004, p. 3-8
  4. ↑ Reports on the railway accident at Poison Gully 1 August 1904, and the unveiling of a memorial to the victims. (The railway bridge at Poison Gully had been wrecked by a washaway) Swan Express, 6 Aug. 1904, p. 4a-b and Swan Express, 11 Nov. 1905, p. 4e
  5. ↑ Note: Some web sites incorrectly suggest that Wokalup is in Queensland "TRAGIC RAILWAY SMASH. TIMBER TRAIN DERAILED.". Western Mail (Perth: National Library of Australia). 11 November 1920. p. 11. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  6. ↑ "DISASTROUS RAILWAY SMASH.". Geraldton Guardian (WA: National Library of Australia). 9 November 1920. p. 3. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  7. ↑ "BIG RAILWAY SMASH SERIOUS DERAILMENT AT KORRELOCKING.". The Sunday Times (Perth: National Library of Australia). 26 August 1928. p. 6 Section: Second Section. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  8. ↑ Pearce, Kenn (2000). Australian Railway Disasters. IPL Books. p. 170.
  9. ↑ "Zanthus Rail Crash". Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
  10. ↑ "Level crossing accident". Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  11. ↑ "Derailment of train". Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  12. ↑ "Collision with track mounted excavator". Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  13. ↑ "Train clips car". Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  14. ↑ "Collision between tow rail/road vehicles". Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  15. ↑ Pearce, Kenn (2000). Australian Railway Disasters. IPL Books. p. 80.
  16. ↑ "Derailment of freight train". Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  17. ↑ "derailment of freight train". Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  18. ↑ "Derailment of train". Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  19. ↑ "Level crossing collision with school bus". Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  20. ↑ "Derailment". Retrieved 11 December 2011.