An excursion train returning from Margate came off the track on the sharp curve outside the station. News Stories In contrast, Stokes claimed that Wilsdon mentioned drinking some sherry when they met at Ramsgate. The second incident occurred on 28 March 1969, when Wilsdon was fined 1 for being drunk in Lewisham. A public inquiry carried out into the cause of the accident was launched on 12 June 1972 by Colonel John R.H. Robertson that looked into the cause of the derailment. British Rail staff who came in contact with Wilsdon on 11 June (his supervisor at Hither Green, depot staff at Ramsgate, Secondman Stokes, Railway Club staff at Ramsgate, Guard Atterbury, Stationmaster Arundell and his staff at Margate, Railman Fleming and Signalman Obee at Rainham) were all intensively questioned and gave evidence at the inquiry regarding the state of Wilsdon, to which all agreed that Wilsdon appeared perfectly fit and sober even as late as his unscheduled stop in Rainham, with the only person aware of Wilsdon already having drunk alcohol prior to reaching Ramsgate being Secondman Stokes, who considered him still fit and sober enough to drive the train. The closure of Eltham Park in connection with the road scheme was formally approved on 26th March 1984. Eltham Well Hall rail crash - Wikidata Lessons learned from Cannon Street crash - Rail According to them, the three returned home and spent the afternoon indoors with the children until Robert was driven by one of his brothers to Rainham station at around 17:15. There was an imbalance with the urine alcohol level which made it very likely that the driver had also been drinking alcohol at the controls. The locomotive and first four coaches left the rails and came to rest at an angle to the track, the second and third coaches on their sides. The train arrived at Margate and the entrainment of passengers was routine, with boarding complete by 20:04. However, as the train approached Sittingbourne, the train was forced to briefly stop due to signals and it was held again momentarily around Rainham by Signalman Obee who had been forced to open his level crossing to allow a pair of buses through as the train was running late. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. Both men were subsequently suspended shortly afterwards, against which Wilsdon immediately appealed, claiming that the event was an isolated incident. A track foot crossing for staff remained in place, this of which was situated roughly midway down the platforms and required climbing on small steps to access. The name "Well Hall" derived from that of a former Tudor mansion, which resided on a site surrounded by a moat, located 160-yards north of the station. He briefed the pair on the train's particulars with Wilsdon appearing sober and routine. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. The curve had a maximum permitted speed to be taken at 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) but the . Further Research 11 June 1972: D1630 was involved in the notorious Eltham Well Hall rail crash in which six people were killed. Depending on the status and age of the original document, you may need an OPSI click-use license if you wish to reproduce this material, and other restrictions may apply. The journey was normal until the train stopped for signals at Rainham, whereafter the driver made an unscheduled stop in the station to telephone the signalman and ask about another excursion train that they were due to pass some distance ahead. However, this evidence was contradicted by a later statement made by Secondman Stokes that when they met at Ramsgate, Wilsdon told Stokes that he had "ended up going somewhere and drinking some sherry". Eltham Well Hall rail crash - YouTube Col J.R.H. The original death roll among the passengers was three but one died of her injuries in mid-August and another of his injuries in November. In the cab, Stokes later recalled that Wilsdon had suddenly shouted in a frightened way at the sight of the curve approaching, to which Stokes immediately braced himself in the seconds that he had available. At the subsequent public inquiry it was revealed that the driver had been intoxicated by alcohol. Both were severely damaged. This document was kindly sourced from Harry Knox and is in our Accident reports collection. In reality, Wilsdon did not leave for Rainham station until 17:15 and as such his move was solely to gain pay for an extra two hours for which he had not actually been on duty. Railman Akehurst, who was on duty on the Well Hall platforms, had seen several earlier trains pass through the station and thence the curve, all of them slowing to the safe speed of 20mph but when he saw the excursion train approaching, he was quite certain it was traveling far beyond that speed. The empty train left Ramsgate and made an uneventful journey to Margate, arriving at around 19:59. There was an imbalance with the urine alcohol level which made it very likely that the driver had also been drinking alcohol at the controls. Notable survivors of the 1931 rebuilding at all three stations mentioned were the SER timber waiting shelters. The mansion was demolished in 1733, save for a barn, and replaced by a smaller property located outside of the moat. mexico train crash 2,325 Train Crash Premium Video Footage Browse 2,325 train crash videos and clips available to use in your projects, or search for money train crash or mexico train crash to find more footage and b-roll video clips. The secondman may not have been attentive because he had also been drinking, but he did not know the route and would not have realised that the driver was not braking for the curve when he should have been. 2004 - 2023 railwaysarchive.co.uk - all rights reserved. Emergency services were notified, and arrived between 21:40 and 21:42. That day the Harrow Observer reported the horrific accident and 66 years later, getwestlondon pays tribute to the victims. The actions of his superior regarding this incident were criticised as "unwise" but were not considered a serious failing. A combination of the signal checks at Sittingbourne and Rainham and the unscheduled stop at Rainham had caused Wilsdon to lose most of the progress he had made between Margate and Sittingbourne. Transport Libraries The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. In future, train crew would have to book in by telephone or report to a supervisor who could visibly look for signs of unfitness for duty. Eltham Well Hall rail crash | owlapps Lettering on paper caption-sheet stuck on verso of print catalogued. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. Two bottles of beer given to the crew by the excursion's organisers were found in the cab, but they were unopened. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. He was thoroughly critical of Wilsdon's behaviour, describing it as "reprehensible" and "disgraceful". These trains would be driven by Southern Region drivers for some of the journey (particularly to ensure that experienced drivers took the trains through the complex arrangements around Clapham Junction) and would, on reaching Margate and being cleared of passengers, take them onward to Ramsgate Depot where they would be stored until the return trip. Secondman Stokes, who agreed with Wilsdon to get some extra drinks at Ramsgate was severely criticised for his "disgraceful" behaviour in drinking three pints prior to taking the train back to Margate, but it was agreed that Stokes' young age and weak character meant that he seemed unwilling to stop Wilsdon from going to get some drink. SYND 12-6-72 AFTERMATH OF ELTHAM TRAIN CRASH AP Archive 4.73M subscribers Subscribe 6 Share Save 2.5K views 7 years ago (11 Jun 1972) The aftermath scenes of a derailment of a excursion. Here, Wilsdon drank two pints of light and bitter and a half pint of light ale which was confirmed by his brothers who'd drunk similarly. Stokes recalled that when Wilsdon turned to speak with him, he "smelt something pretty strong" on the driver's breath and when asked, Wilsdon explained that he had been drinking at lunchtime and later had some sherry prior to arriving in Ramsgate. The pair had three pints of light and bitter each with Wilsdon possibly drinking another half pint of light ale, according to the evidence of club staff who served him. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. Trying to gain Wilsdon's attention, he made two light applications ("splashes") of the guard's brake. "Well Hall", as the station was first known, was the subject of two closure attempts during its lifetime - the second of which succeeded - and came into use with the 8-mile Bexleyheath Line on 1st May 1895. He later commented to Stokes a joking complaint about the driver of the first excursion train, calling him a "slow bastard". The next five coaches were derailed but the 10th, in which the guard was riding, was not. The second excursion train, scheduled to leave Margate at 20:05 was to be crewed by Driver Wilsdon, Secondman P.E. When Arundell went to examine the cab, he found it empty but after returning shortly afterwards, saw a pair of beer bottles in the cab. Upon completing his phone conversation, Wilsdon returned to his cab and departed having been stopped at Rainham for about four minutes. The guard told the inquiry that after leaving Rainham he had noticed that the train's speed has been "a little bit excessive" and that the driver braked intensely between Gillingham and Chatham. Wilsdon met with his secondman, a youth of 18 years, there. The 20:05 return excursion train crewed by Wilsdon, Stokes and Atterbury consisted of a British Rail Class 47 locomotive, No.1630 from the Midland Region, and ten coaches; a Brake Second Corridor, a Second Corridor, a Composite Corridor, three more Second Corridors, another Composite, a Tourist Standard Open, another Second Corridor and another Brake Second Corridor at the rear. Well Hall station will be partially covered by the new Rochester Way relief road. Here, Wilsdon drank two pints of light and bitter and a half pint of light ale which was confirmed by his brothers who'd drunk similarly. As he did not need to be on duty until the afternoon, Wilsdon joined his two brothers for lunch at around 12:55, the three travelling to a local pub where they stayed until closing time just after 14:00. When Arundell went to examine the cab, he found it empty but after returning shortly afterwards, saw a pair of beer bottles in the cab. On the morning of 14th November 1944, a V2 rocket impacted a site on Sherrard Road, just 80 yards to the south of Well Hall stations main building. +44 (0)20 7611 2222info@wellcomecollection.org, Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence, 1 photograph : photoprint ; sheet 15.3 x 20.2 cm, Injured in excursion disaster. Shortly after leaving Rainham, Atterbury noted that the speed seemed "a little bit excessive" and that Wilsdon had been braking intensely between Gillingham and Chatham railway station. An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. At no point did Wilsdon even attempt to slow his train beyond having already shut off the engine to coast which was normal at this long downhill sector of the line. The second and third coach followed the first coach until relatively late into the derailment, with the coupling between the first and second failing around the end of the derailment. According to Obee, Wilsdon had stopped at Rainham to inquire of the position of the first excursion train, which Obee explained was to stop at Gillingham railway station and would let Wilsdon overtake it, which was not as planned (Wilsdon's train was to overtake the first excursion train at Newington railway station which was prior to Rainham); to which Wilsdon told him "you should read your weekly notices". Railman Akehurst, who was on duty on the Well Hall platforms, had seen several earlier trains pass through the station and thence the curve, all of them slowing to the safe speed of 20 miles per hour (32km/h) but when he saw the excursion train approaching, he was quite certain it was traveling far beyond that speed. An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. The rear end of the first coach came to rest up against the leading cab. This seaside excursion train derailed on a bend outside Well Hall station, Eltham, South London on June 11th, 1972 killing at least 4 people and. He used the correct telephone and spoke quite clearly and was not at all slurred according to both Fleming and Obee. Wilsdon was not due to be on duty until the afternoon and had gone to a pub at lunchtime with his brothers who said he spent the afternoon at home. Stokes had arrived first, having spoken with the supervisor at Ramsgate to ascertain the details of the train. The rear of the coach had been somewhat damaged by the fifth, sixth and seventh coaches passing by it, derailed but still on the track. Attached to the building was an arched-roof platform canopy with clover-patterned valance, a style which is still evident today at Paddock Wood. Despite his experience and long time working on the railways, Wilsdon had been reprimanded five times throughout his career. Six lives were lost including the driver, and 126 people were injured. The 20:05 return excursion train crewed by Wilsdon, Stokes and Atterbury consisted of a British Rail Class 47 locomotive, No.1630 from the Midland Region, and ten coaches; a Brake Second Corridor, a Second Corridor, a Composite Corridor, three more Second Corridors, another Composite, a Tourist Standard Open, another Second Corridor and another Brake Second Corridor at the rear. By 1972 he was married with young children and living in Rainham, Kent - which meant he would usually have to make an almost two hour rail commute to his depot at Hither Green. British Rail Class 47 - Incidents In 1927, yet another renaming occurred, the Southern Railway designating the site as Eltham (Well Hall) from 26th September. Eltham Well Hall Rail Crash 1972 Find this Pin and more on Eltham photos by Nigel. wikipedia.en/Eltham_Well_Hall_rail_crash.md at main - Github The outbound journeys left Kentish Town around 0830, were completed uneventfully and the trains stabled at Ramsgate as planned. The front of the cab was torn open and debris thrown and 'ploughed' inside, killing Wilsdon and severely injuring Stokes. Robertson, concluded that the driver Robert Wilsdon had "grossly impaired his ability to drive safely by drinking a considerable quantity of alcohol both before and after booking on duty, including some shortly before leaving Margate and some more in his cab during the journey.". His suspension in 1961 was considered a warning sign of Wilsdon's alcoholic tendencies but it was agreed that at the time there was no evidence to disprove Wilsdon's statements that he would better himself and not drink again. This occasion aside, the station survived the war years intact. After the crossing was cleared, he set the route for the train to proceed but instead, the train came to a stop at the platform. The crash happened at around 3.30pm today (May 23). He had worked with Wilsdon occasionally before and had driven with him a few times prior. Investigating this theory, the morning after the accident, the cab was searched and three smashed glasses were found in the cab's wreckage. He made recommendations that booking-on of drivers by telephone should be controlled carefully, but did not recommend any changes to warnings of permanent speed restrictions. SYND 12-6-72 AFTERMATH OF ELTHAM TRAIN CRASH - YouTube Guard Atterbury, who arrived at Ramsgate some hours earlier and had been relaxing in the staff break room of the station, had gone to prepare the train for its departure at around 19:30 and initially noted that the engine crew were absent. Shortly thereafter, Wilsdon and Stokes returned and entered the cab preparing for departure, with neither seeming unusual: when Arundell told them to hurry up, Wilsdon calmly noted they could regain lost time on the journey. The same design came into use at all three stations: a single-storey red brick structure with a hipped tiled roof, complemented with an upward-sloping canopy with plain valance. Photograph by Press Association, 1972. Most Wanted The second uncertain moment was what occurred to both him and Stokes during the stop at Margate, in which both seemingly left the station via the Platform No.1 entrance. Running slightly late and at Wilsdon's urging, the pair returned to Ramsgate Depot at around 19:40. Please consider donating to help with our running costs. RSS Feeds Eltham Well Hall rail crash explained It was written by Col. J. R. H. Robertson. After arrival at Margate, the train was stabled at Ramsgate. Well Hall Road had accommodated a tramway route until July 1952, when all such services within London were withdrawn. ASLEF sided with Wilsdon and General Secretary William Evans sided with Wilsdon. In contrast, Stokes claimed that Wilsdon mentioned drinking some sherry when they met at Ramsgate. A post-mortem examination of Wilsdon showed that he had a blood alcohol level of 0.278% (the legal limit for driving a road vehicle in England at that time was 0.08%). This caused both coaches to overturn onto their right side, with the leading end of the second coach coming to a stand in front of the locomotive and the rear of the first coach, which in combination with the fourth coach, formed an "N" shape with the first four coaches. Further modernisation was the order of the day in 1931, when stations at Bexleyheath, Welling, and Eltham (Well Hall) were rebuilt. It came to a stand laying parallel with the locomotive, having jack-knifed and pushed slightly around so the leading cab was facing back towards the line and the rear cab was pointing away from the track. Eltham Well Hall Rail Crash. June 11, 1972. Pictures by my - Pinterest It seems these splashes were too late and light to register in the cab. Upon completing his phone conversation, Wilsdon returned to his cab and departed having been stopped at Rainham for about four minutes. This document was published on 1st June 1973 by Department of the Environment. According to his notes, the train passed through Bexleyheath at 21:31, seven minutes behind schedule (estimates showed that Wilsdon had made up at least a minute and a half between Gillingham and Strood) and was running on clear signals. Pictures by my father, Reg Godsave. The locomotive and first four coaches left the rails and came to rest at an angle to the track, the second and third coaches on their sides. From 1st October 1916, the station was known as Well Hall and North Eltham. When Stokes boarded the engine, he waited alone in the cab until around 18:25 when Wilsdon arrived and spoke about the preparations for the journey back to London. located in the administrative territorial entity. Although Robertson could not confirm Stokes' statements, he considered it likely that Wilsdon had drunk after 14:02 owing to the smell on Wilsdon's breath at Rainham several hours later and, whilst not explicitly accusing Wilsdon's brothers of lying, considered that anybody who tried to hide evidence of Wilsdon's drinking that day "did him a disservice". Two bottles of beer given to the crew by the excursion's organisers were found in the cab, but they were unopened. The crew left the cab for a few minutes and as a result the train departed from Margate eight minutes late. The rear of the coach had been somewhat damaged by the fifth, sixth and seventh coaches passing by it, derailed but still on the track. The driver Robert Wilsdon and five passengers were killed, and 126 people were injured. Pin on Eltham The public inquiry into the accident eleven years later agreed that this incident was a seemingly isolated occurrence and all had reason to believe Wilsdon; the Line Manager who reinstated the two was not criticised for this approach, although some criticism was given to the Management in 1961 for promoting Wilsdon so quickly after being reinstated. [2], The train arrived at Margate and the entrainment of passengers was routine, with boarding complete by 20:04. The Bexleyheath line became fully track-circuited at this time and, in the same year, a check rail was laid west from Well Hall station, along what was known as the Well Hall Curve. Guard Atterbury was 57 and had been a guard since 1948 and was based at London Bridge and although he had worked the Bexleyheath line before, he had never done so on a fast train. Of these penalties, three were fairly minor isolated offences (unauthorised absence in October 1960, persistent lateness in February 1961 and a "relatively minor driving offence" in February 1963) but two were serious offences, one of which resulted in a temporary suspension. Eltham Well Hall station is to be replaced by a massive bus/rail interchange at Glenlea Road. 0 references. Wilsdon and Stokes were to sign on duty at Hither Green in person by 15:42 to catch a train as passengers to Ramsgate, transferring at Dartford. It seems these splashes were too late and light to register in the cab. Copyright Info, Accident at Eltham Well Hall on 11th June 1972. Arundell believed that they were a gift left by the organisers of the excursion to the engine crew - such being a normal 'tip' for excursion drivers to enjoy off-duty - and he did not question their appearance. Both Wilsdon and his colleague were reinstated on 18 December 1961, with Wilsdon being promoted to driver less than a week later on 25 December with his transfer to Hither Green. Approaching Eltham Park he became so concerned at the speed that he made two quick applications of the vacuum brake to try to draw the driver's attention, but before he could get a reaction it was too late.
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