Train crash 1867

On 10^th September 1867 a fatal accident occurred on the Midland line between Peak Forest and New Mills.

A cattle train with twenty-seven wagons containing around a thousand sheep and cows, ran into the rear of a stationery ballast train in Dove Holes tunnel. The force of the collision caused the cattle wagons to become uncoupled from the locomotive. They, immediately, began rolling back down the steep gradient in the direction from which they had come, gaining speed as they went. There were nine people riding on the runaway wagons, eight drovers and the guard. Two or three drovers and the guard jumped off, but the others remained on-board.

The wagons travelled about six miles on the wrong line, before crashing into the engine of an express train near New Mills. It appears that the express train's driver was made aware of the wagons bearing down on him, so stopped, threw the engine into reverse, and then jumped off. At that moment the runaway wagons hit the loco with tremendous force. 

 

Illustrated London News  September 1867

The express train with steam on, but no crew carried on backwards down the falling gradient with its cargo of frightened passengers. It eventually stopped as it reached a section of rising gradient near Romiley about five miles from the collision at New Mills.

Four of the drovers were killed as the cattle train collided with the express. A little girl aged twelve, Martha Vaines, was also killed. Against regulations, she had been given a lift in the rear van of the ballast train, so died in the first collision in the tunnel.  

The accident was caused largely by the actions of an inexperienced signalman at the Peak Forest end of the tunnel. He had, mistakenly, indicated to the signalman at the Chapel-en-le-Frith end of the tunnel, via his instruments, that the ballast train was clear of the tunnel, where in fact, it had stopped to unload ballast. Consequently, the cattle train was allowed to enter the tunnel. The blame was  shared by an official who had passed the Peak Forest signalman as competent after only one month of training.

The Times 11^th & 13^th September 1867