Death, Danger and Disaster on the Early Railway
This story contains graphic depictions of harm, images of the aftermath of disaster and discussions of child death. Reader discretion is advised.
The arrival of the railways were met with great excitement by many.
However, this technology was still new, and the dangers it could pose were not yet fully understood by the public.
The Queen's Staghounds Narrow Escape (circa 1838-1843) by C. A. S and UnknownNational Railway Museum
The severity of this problem is demonstrated in a series of cartoons created by an unidentified artist in the 1830s and 1840s.
This image shows a hunting party coming into close contact with a train.
A man on a horse can be seen galloping just ahead of the train.
The train itself has already struck a horse, its rider is falling down the embankment.
Lady Baring's Servant in Trying to Recover his Hat (circa 1838-1843) by C.A.S and UnknownNational Railway Museum
In this image, we see a man who has leapt from the moving train in order to retrieve his hat.
These images demonstrate how perilously close the public came to death on the railways.
The public underestimation of these dangers would soon be shattered by a series of high profile and devastating accidents.
The Accident to the Irish Mail Train (1868) by Holt, E. F.National Railway Museum
Abergele Disaster
In 1868 near Abergele, Wales a terrifying accident occurred. A goods wagon, carrying highly flammable paraffin, was being held in some sidings. The train had to pull over to let an Irish mail train pass.
However, the train was too long to fit in one siding- meaning that the train had to be decoupled to fit in either side. The uncoupled waggons were improperly secured allowing them to roll back toward the approaching mail train.
This painting by E.F Holt shows an imagining of the scene. While it's not entirely accurate, it conveys the horror of the event.
The train colliding with the highly flammable cargo meant that the wooden carriage quickly went up in flames. 33 people died in the accident, making it the worst accident to occur on British railways at the time.
Public outrage about the accident intensified when allegations that the passengers had been locked into their carriages emerged.
This door lock recovered from the accident proved that these claims were unfounded.
Even so, public anxiety about railway safety had been raised. These fears would only be exacerbated by further accidents.
Armagh Railway Disaster (1889) by Trevena, ArthurNational Railway Museum
Armagh Disaster
A strikingly similar accident to the one that happened in Abergele would occur in Ireland just 20 years later.
On 12th June 1889 near Armagh, a train carrying a Sunday School Group on a weekend excursion stalled on a hill.
To get the train moving, half the carriages were uncoupled from the locomotive and left on the tracks. The intention was to ferry the first section of the train up the hill, then return for the rest. Instead, the uncoupled carriages began to roll backwards down the track.
To make matters worse another train had set off from Armagh. The train collided with the runaway carriage. This photograph shows the aftermath.
80 people died and 260 were injured. Many of the victims were children.
This was the most devastating accident to occur in 19th-century Britain, and it remains the worst rail disaster in Ireland's history.
Accident at Preston, Lancashire (1896) by Trevena, ArthurNational Railway Museum
Anxiety around railway accidents manifested in several unusual ways. After an incident, crowds would gather at the site and photograph the wreckage. The National Railway Museum holds a collection of such accident images, compiled by Arthur Trevena.
Accident at Heathfield (1897) by Trevena, ArthurNational Railway Museum
This accident occurred September 1st, 1897 in Sussex.
The train is visible, but the carriages are missing from the image. This is because they have fallen down the embankment.
Accident at Colchester (1913) by Trevena, ArthurNational Railway Museum
Here we can see crowds watching cranes remove the wrecked train from the line. This took place 12th July, 1913 in Essex.
Another strange manifestation of this morbid fascination was the creation of souvenirs made from the wrecked trains.
This key rack, for example, was made from wood salvaged after the Bullhouse Bridge accident of 1884.
This shoehorn was made from salvaged materials salvaged from the Thirsk disaster.
This disaster is a tragic example of a leading cause of railway accidents in the Victorian period: signalman error.
Accident at Thirsk (1892) by Trevena, ArthurNational Railway Museum
The Thirsk disaster occurred when the signalman briefly fell asleep on duty.
The confusion caused by this brief lapse in concentration meant that the signalman allowed a train to enter an already occupied section of track.
James Holmes, the signalman in question, had been up for 24 hours searching for a doctor for his sick child. Unfortunately, the child died.
The exhausted and distraught Holmes was forced to work his shift due to lack of a relief signalman.
Holmes was charged with manslaughter for his role in the tragedy.
He received widespread public support in the aftermath of the accident and was later pardoned due to this public sympathy.
Signalmen had a great deal of responsibility, and the fate of many people's lives in their hands.
Even so, they worked long hours where they would have to maintain high levels of concentration.
Safety Improvements
Over the 19th Century the railways became significantly safer. This is due to a wide range of improvements.
Signalmen received more effective training and improved working conditions, significantly reducing the likelihood of human error.
Signalling systems improved, meaning trains were more unlikely to be sent onto an already occupied area of track.
Brake Van, London & South Western Railway (1894) by Eastleigh WorksNational Railway Museum
Breaking mechanisms on trains and carriages were altered, making runaway carriages less likely.
Passenger Train at Llandidrod Wells Station, Powys (1905) by London Midland & Scottish Railway Company, London & North Western Railway, and British Railways, London Midland RegionNational Railway Museum
Thanks to these improvements, along with other changes made over the railway's 200 year history, rail travel has become one of the safest modes of transportation.
Mass casualty events on the railways are, thankfully, extremely rare today.
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