By the time the train approached Eltham Well Hall station it was running at around 65mph. Eltham Well Hall rail crash explained Running slightly late and at Wilsdon's urging, the pair returned to Ramsgate Depot at around 19:40. 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. Rail; . 2004 - 2023 railwaysarchive.co.uk - all rights reserved. Stokes and Guard H. Atterbury. Pin on Eltham Further Research 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. Stationmaster Arundell signalled the train clear to depart for London, but both he and Atterbury found that there was no response in the cab. Eltham Well Hall - Kent Rail The front of the cab was torn open and debris thrown and 'ploughed' inside, killing Wilsdon and severely injuring Stokes. 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". The first coach followed the overturned locomotive but remained upright, the coupling failing quite late into the sequence. His speech was clear and his gait was normal. Physical description 1 photograph : photoprint ; sheet 15.3 x 20.2 cm Contributors Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. SYND 12-6-72 AFTERMATH OF ELTHAM TRAIN CRASH - YouTube In contrast, Stokes claimed that Wilsdon mentioned drinking some sherry when they met at Ramsgate. Upon completing his phone conversation, Wilsdon returned to his cab and departed having been stopped at Rainham for about four minutes. It seems these splashes were too late and light to register in the cab. 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. In that year, the Greater London Council (GLC) published proposals for the Rochester Way Relief Road, today known as the A2. Temporary public electric workings operated down all three routes between 10th and 16th May 1926 inclusive, as a result of the General Strike, steam-hauled passenger trains briefly resuming afterwards. The Inspecting Officer, Colonel J.R.H. ", -- More Tools -- Closure of Eltham Well Hall and Eltham Park stations was scheduled for Saturday 2nd March 1985, when the new platforms east of the former would be brought into use with a huge interchange with bus services. Guard Atterbury was not criticised whatsoever for his behaviour and it was considered unfortunate that his "splashes" were too weak to gain Wilsdon's attention. Credits I much regret to report that five passengers in the train and its driver lost their lives and that 126 people, including the secondman on the locomotive, were injured and were either taken to hospitals in the area or received medical attention at the site of the accident: 40 of those taken to hospital were detained, some of them being very seriously injured. 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. Eltham Well Hall | EPC Resilience Single-storey they may have been, but these were substantial main buildings for these intermediate stations, extending for 145-feet in length, with widths of 20-feet and 25-feet at their narrowest and widest points respectively. East London Train Station Vintage Photos City Photo Autos A major rail crash happened at Well Hall on Sunday evening 11 June 1972. After arrival at Margate, the train was stabled at Ramsgate. 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. Today. There are currently no news items related to this accident. Copyright Info. 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. 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. This evidence contradicts that of Wilsdon's brothers who claimed that he had not drunk between 14:02 and 17:15. 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.". Eltham Well Hall rail crash - Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash in pictures: Remembering - MyLondon Both brothers confirmed that he had not drunk after leaving the pub and were adamant on this point at the later public inquiry. Pinterest. A member of staff on the platform at this time noted that he had seen both Stokes and Wilsdon depart the locomotive and leave the station via Platform No.1 three minutes after having arrived at Margate and this was later compared with the timings made by Guard Atterbury, who recorded a 20:13 departure from Margate (eight minutes late) noting that both Stokes and Wilsdon were absent. Sometime between these two renaming occurrences, the goods yard acquired a five-ton crane. Semi-detached London: Suburban Development, Life and Transport, 1900-39. The driver Robert Wilsdon and five passengers were killed, and 126 people were injured. 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. The second excursion train, scheduled to leave Margate at 20:05 was to be crewed by Driver Wilsdon, Secondman P.E. The cause of the crash was concluded to be intoxication of the driver. Eltham Well Hall Rail Crash 1972 Find this Pin and more on Eltham photos by Nigel. As a result the heavy locomotive entered the curve at some 65 mph and, distorting the track and sharpening the curve immediately ahead of its wheels, overturned to the left and dragged the train after it into almost total derailment. However, changes were made to the signalling at Eltham so that through trains would receive a yellow signal on approach. 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. 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". 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. He subsequently gave Wilsdon a stern reprimand and advised him that such behaviour was not acceptable. Since 1969, Wilsdon had had a clean record with no reprimands. Stokes had arrived first, having spoken with the supervisor at Ramsgate to ascertain the details of the train. Two bottles of beer given to the crew by the excursion's organisers were found in the cab, but they were unopened. This was agreed as there was no evidence to the contrary and it was believed that Wilsdon was travelling to Ramsgate at this time. On Sunday 11th June 1972 at 21:36, disaster struck. The driver Robert Wilsdon and five passengers were killed, and 126 people were injured. He had worked with Wilsdon a few times before and considered him an experienced driver. 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. Despite his experience and long time working on the railways, Wilsdon had been reprimanded five times throughout his career. Photograph by Press Association, 1972. An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at The tragedy killed 112 people and injured 300 more and to date is the most catastrophic train crash to happen during peace time in England. Although Atterbury had been somewhat concerned about excessive speed between Gillingham and Chatham, he stated that Wilsdon had operated appropriately through Dartford. Running slightly late and at Wilsdon's urging, the pair returned to Ramsgate Depot at around 19:40. Latest Documents 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. 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. 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). Credits He was thoroughly critical of Wilsdon's behaviour, describing it as "reprehensible" and "disgraceful". Links The closure of Eltham Park in connection with the road scheme was formally approved on 26th March 1984. 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. The SR also re-faced the platform sides with prefabricated concrete supplied by their factory at Exmouth Junction, Devon. The "up" platform still had vintage style benches, and it is evident that a window had been bricked up in that wall of the main building nearest the camera. RSS Feeds Please consider donating to help with our running costs. An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. injuries= 126The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35.
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