Despite his experience and long time working on the railways, Wilsdon had been reprimanded five times throughout his career. 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. Today. Eltham Well Hall station is to be replaced by a massive bus/rail interchange at Glenlea Road. Despite this, Robertson felt that there was no severe issue with drinking amongst drivers on Britain's railways, with only two other accidents (one in 1913 and another in 1952) having occurred explicitly due to driver drunkenness in the sixty years prior to the accident, and as such he believed that it was a combination of railway staff's thoughts and self-discipline for drivers' behaviour with alcohol. The driver Robert Wilsdon and five passengers were killed, and 126 people were injured. Please see this explanation for further details. Eltham,Well,Hall,rail,crashThe,Eltham,Well,Hall,rail,crash,was,an,accident,on,the,British,railway,system,that,occurred,on,11,June,1972,at,approximately,21:35. Having left Margate eight minutes late and scheduled to run non-stop (aside from a later stop to change crew), Wilsdon was able to run the train at high speed and according to Atterbury's timings, was only a minute late after passing Faversham (24miles from Margate). The curve had a maximum permitted speed to be taken at 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) but the train was estimated to have been travelling at 65 . Further Reading 2004 - 2023 railwaysarchive.co.uk - all rights reserved. That day the Harrow Observer reported the horrific accident and 66 years later, getwestlondon pays tribute to the victims. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. 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. 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. Photograph by Press Association, 1972. The last station the train passed on its journey that Atterbury had to time was at Bexleyheath railway station 4.3 miles (6.9km) east of the accident site. Six lives were lost including the driver, and 126 people were injured. The second excursion train, scheduled to leave Margate at 20:05 was to be crewed by Driver Wilsdon, Secondman P.E. Eltham Well Hall is seen in this Dartford-bound view less than a year before closure. An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. The crash happened at around 3.30pm today (May 23). Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Stationmaster Arundell signalled the train clear to depart for London, but both he and Atterbury found that there was no response in the cab. Cookie policy. Stokes had arrived first, having spoken with the supervisor at Ramsgate to ascertain the details of the train. An excursion train returning from Margate came off the track on the sharp curve outside the station. Well Hall, Eltham, train crash, 1972: an injured train driver being carried to an ambulance. This was agreed as there was no evidence to the contrary and it was believed that Wilsdon was travelling to Ramsgate at this time. Stokes was uncertain on this point but agreed that "Bob could have got one in". Having been in operation for ninety years, today there is no trace of this station having ever existed, the site having fallen foul to a road widening scheme. 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. Along this paper, the methodology is exemplified on a specific accident: the derailments caused by over-speed in curve. This travel time and distance between Rainham and Hither Green played a key role in the accident that occurred.[2]. Whilst the original main building of 1908 and sections of platform remain in evidence today at the former site of Eltham Park, at Well Hall not a brick remains. Credits By contrast to this, secondman Stokes arrived at Hither Green, signed on duty in person at around 15:12 and was instructed by the Supervisor to travel on the 15:32 train and try to meet Wilsdon on the train. However, changes were made to the signalling at Eltham so that through trains would receive a yellow signal on approach. Despite this, Wilsdon suggested the pair go to the nearby Railway Staff Association Club at about 19:00 and get a drink to which Stokes agreed, with the pair arriving just in time for the club to open at 19:05. 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. By the time the train approached Eltham Well Hall station it was running at around 65 miles per hour (105km/h). The adequacy of the taxonomy is discussed with regards to the socio-technical context of accident reports. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. Touch device users, explore by touch . Whilst it was agreed that it was a fairly common occurrence in the Southern Region and British Rail had adopted a policy where certain drivers could be granted need to book on via telephone (typically those either living far from depots or those whose duties commenced far from their depots). The driver of the Excursion train was Robert Wilsdon, a Driver for British Rail's Southern Region based at Hither Green TMD since December 1961. 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 driver Robert Wilsdon and five passengers were killed, and 126 people were injured. Wilsdon met with his secondman, a youth of 18 years, there. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. This travel time and distance between Rainham and Hither Green played a key role in the accident that occurred.[2]. Both brothers confirmed that he had not drunk after leaving the pub and were adamant on this point at the later public inquiry. 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. The train was an excursion for Kentish Town-based railway employees of the London Midland Region and their families. Two of them were the beer bottles that Stationmaster Arundell had seen at Margate and both were confirmed to have been unopened. The fourth coach had ended up roughly 90 degrees to the track, leaning over on its left side. Eltham Well Hall train crash; Statements. He immediately tried to signal to the driver to stop but was unable to gain Wilsdon's attention. Genealogy The outbound journeys left Kentish Town around 0830, were completed uneventfully and the trains stabled at Ramsgate as planned. Those who knew the driver said that he was quite a frequent drinker of alcohol and could "carry" much beer. 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. A second trailing crossover between the running lines had been installed 50-yards east of the platforms, and the goods yard acquired a further two sidings and a shed (although, as per that at Bexleyheath, rails did not pass through it). A third smashed bottle found was later proven to have been a medicine bottle and was unlikely to have carried any alcohol at the time of the accident. The 1969 incident also showed Wilsdon's disregard of what had occurred in 1961 but it was agreed that the manager at the time had been unwise in waiting two months to question Wilsdon, but had acted appropriately when he did. 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. 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. This accident has been the subject of a published formal accident investigation, which you will find below. Please note that the Railways Archive is not responsible for the content of external websites. 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. 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. Eltham Well Hall Rail Crash 1972 Find this Pin and more on Eltham photos by Nigel. Transport Libraries Well Hall station will be partially covered by the new Rochester Way relief road. Apr 2, 2017 - Eltham Well Hall Rail Crash. Compliments. 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. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Although uncertain, it seems that Wilsdon believed that the two stoppages that occurred to his train at Sittingbourne and Rainham and having not seen the first excursion train at Newington, was because the first train was running slowly and kept stopping his train. This evidence contradicts that of Wilsdon's brothers who claimed that he had not drunk between 14:02 and 17:15. 0 references. He stated that he was thoroughly ashamed and that he had been celebrating a promotion to the position of Passed Fireman with his colleague who greatly assisted him. Please consider donating to help with our running costs. The recommendation that booking-on by telephone be carefully controlled was reiterated in the Inspectorate report of the Cannon Street Station rail crash in 1991. The rear end of the first coach came to rest up against the leading cab. 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. 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. The eighth coach was upright but derailed, the ninth coach was derailed at its leading bogie but also upright, and the tenth coach (in which Atterbury had been riding) was upright and on the rails, though some internal damage had occurred. By contrast to this, secondman Stokes arrived at Hither Green, signed on duty in person at around 15:12 and was instructed by the Supervisor to travel on the 15:32 train and try to meet Wilsdon on the train. He had been working on the railways since 1958 and was experienced to drive the British Rail Class 47 locomotive, which would occasionally come down from trains in other regions. At 15:22 Wilsdon signed on duty with Hither Green by telephone. A 24-year-old man was cut free from wreckage crushing his head and abdomen and died from a heart attack on the way to hospital. As part of British Railways ten-car suburban train scheme, which aimed to boost capacity on South Eastern Division commuter lines, Well Halls platforms were lengthened at their eastern ends in 1955 using prefabricated concrete components. The derailed train came to a halt very close to an electrical sub-station powering the third-rail for electric multiple unit trains and this had immediately short-circuited. D1671 was withdrawn some four months later. Nevertheless, at Wilsdon's suggestion, they both went to the nearby Railway Staff Association Club at about 19:00 and drank three pints of light and bitter beer each. The second excursion train, scheduled to leave Margate at 20:05 was to be crewed by Driver Wilsdon, Secondman P.E. The next five coaches were derailed but the 10th, in which the guard was riding, was not. Stokes and Guard H. Atterbury. The curve had a maximum permitted speed to be taken at 20 miles per hour (32km/h) but the train was estimated to have been travelling at 65 miles per hour (105km/h) resulting in the locomotive and all but one of the ten carriages derailing. This did not occur, and the two met up at Ramsgate Depot by the locomotive at around 18:25. Statistics Eltham Well Hall. The Inspecting Officer, Colonel J.R.H. I am a dreamer who dreams of a world full of Upon completing his phone conversation, Wilsdon returned to his cab and departed having been stopped at Rainham for about four minutes. On Sunday 11 June 1972, a day-trip to Margate had been arranged for the employees (and their families) of British Rail's Midland Region based at the North London depot at Kentish Town. Stokes was uncertain on this point but agreed that "Bob could have got one in". The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. Well Hall, Eltham, train crash, 1972: an injured train driver being carried to an ambulance. Further modernisation was the order of the day in 1931, when stations at Bexleyheath, Welling, and Eltham (Well Hall) were rebuilt. The train arrived at Margate and the entrainment of passengers was routine, with boarding complete by 20:04. 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. -- More Tools -- Latest Documents The first coach followed the overturned locomotive but remained upright, the coupling failing quite late into the sequence. An excursion train from. The locomotive jumped the sharp curve, derailing and rolling onto its left side and sliding through a coal yard. As well as Wilsdon, two passengers died at the scene; a woman later died of her injuries in August and a male likewise in November, bringing the number of fatalities to five. Well Hall Road had accommodated a tramway route until July 1952, when all such services within London were withdrawn. Before he could go ask superiors as to where they were, he saw Stokes and Wilsdon return. Having left Margate eight minutes late and scheduled to run non-stop (aside from a later stop to change crew), Wilsdon was able to run the train at high speed and according to Atterbury's timings, was only a minute late after passing Faversham (24 miles (39km) from Margate). Another steam-era system to go was the mechanical signalling, semaphores and the cabin going out of use on 14th March 1970, when four-aspect colour lights, controlled from a temporary panel at St Johns, came into use. 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 is 0.08%). Both men were subsequently suspended shortly afterwards, against which Wilsdon immediately appealed, claiming that the event was an isolated incident. Semi-detached London: Suburban Development, Life and Transport, 1900-39. Well Hall Road, which is one of the key arterial roads between Eltham and Woolwich, is blocked near the junction of Arsenal Road. 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.
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