IRISH RAILWAY ACCIDENT REPORTS POST INDEPENDENCE

haulier

I'm not sure exactly when the Dept. of Industry & Commerce took over this job, but two reports were conducted by Mr. T.M. BATCHEM into accidents that occurred in early 1923.
Some early reports have been included in the current Railway Safety site, but I'm sure there are more. The idea here is to identify and list the accidents.
If anyone has any information/reports - feel free to update .

Most Irish Accident Reporrts pre 1923 are already online on various sites

1] BRAY HEAD 24/04/1923 - Rockfall at Bray side on #1 tunnel. Train [2-4-0 tank eng.+4 bogs+3v+2w] completely derailed - no injuties to passengers, but guard fell down a bank - slightly injured

2] AMIENS ST. LOOPLINE STN.- Signal box destroyed on 26/04/1923 [ in civil war ?] - on May 1, a movement, under PILOTMAN/ SHUNTER control, was being made from Newcomen Junction to platform [ then 7?] in Amiens St.
The points on P7 were made for the turntable line, but driver not informed.

Train [2-4-0 tank engine + 10 laden wagons +v ] charged the incline, went into t/table line, through the wall & down into G.P.O. office [ PRESTON ST.], injuring 2 P.O. staff.

Pilotman blamed, but Driver also going too fast.

ref : RM - VOL 54 [1924] P 71/2

seagoebox

The Railway Gazette 29th April 1927 reports some more of Mr Bachen's work, on an accident that happened at Sligo on 1st November 1926. An 18mph buffer stop collision at the station involving the down night mail which approached too fast. The drivers excuse that a fog made the rails "unexpectedly greasy" didnt wash with Mr Batchen who concluded that "the driver be held responsible for the collision".
The Railway Gazette is a useful source for accident reports.

cml387

In my own original home town of Mullingar, and indeed not far from where I lived, there were two accidents both within sight of the 46th mile signal box (known locally as the Downs crossing).

There was a serious derailment of a goods train in 1971, and in 1963 a collision between a passenger train with a failed engine and a locomotive sent out to rescue it (the curse of the Crossleys I'd guess because both engines were A class Metrovicks).

Strange that lighting should metaphorically strike in the same place.

haulier

Seagoebox - very seldom see Railway Gazette - some very good reading in it overall

cml 387 - The Mullingar crash[ 05/12/1963] report is on the RAIU site

cml387

haulier wrote: »

Seagoebox - very seldom see Railway Gazette - some very good reading in it overall

cml 387 - The Mullingar crash[ 05/12/1963] report is on the RAIU site

Yes, I read it. I'd never actually heard of it before I found the report and there were some injuries among the passengers.

It also was mentioned in passing in the accident report of the Cherryville accident in 1983.

seagoebox

I have copies of the following reports.......

Straboe (Portarlington- Portlaoise section) 20th December 1944.
Rathluirc & Kilmallock section, 1st August 1947
Ballyshannon/Donegal section, CDR. 29th August 1949
Cappagh (Mallow-Rosslare), 3rd April 1951
Boher (Limerick- Limerick Jcn) 24th September 1954
Hazelhatch Station 4th January 1955
Cahir Station/Viaduct 21st December 1955
Dundrum-Foxrock section, 23rd December 1957
Hybla Bridge (Cherryville-Monasterevan section) 27th March 1959

Now just to fill in a few more between 1923 and 1944.............

Del.Monte

I'm sure you already have this T&D one from 1893? An interesting one and well worth downloading.

http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=1691

cml387

Given that pre independence the accidents would have been done by the Board of trade, I wonder how the accident investigators were trained. Because it was actually colonels from the Royal Engineers that carried out the investigations in Britain, did we use their expertise afterwards, given the sensitivities of the time?

haulier

I wasn't sure whether to start this thread - the main reason was to try to get ON RECORD & hopefully ON LINE any of the accident reports that have fallen into the period after independence & before the set up of the RAILWAY ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION UNIT A FEW YEARS BACK.

As DELMONTE notes, most pre - independence reports [ and much more ] are on the excellent http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk site and I was hoping that there might be some actual reports/information on reports out there which might be, at least. brought to the attention of those who have an interest in these matters - before the the information/documents disappear - if thats the right word.

What made me think about this was when, a few years back, a person I was in correspondence with in the UK offered me. amongst other things, a copy of the OWENCARROW report [ LLWR 1925] which I still have somewhere, but copied to the IRRS to enable others to avail of [ or in case my copy went into a skip sometime!!] If I was more computer literate, I would post in somewhere for others to read, etc

Del.Monte

I had been collecting accident material for some years - with a book in mind - but disposed of it all to other enthusiasts when Brian Mac Aongusa's "Broken Rails" book came out.



While the book was a worthwhile effort I felt it left out much and had spoilt the market for another book on the subject.

My interest started after reading the excellent book "Red for Danger" by L.T.C.Rolt which is still available and essential reading for anyone interested in the subject.

https://www.amazon.com/Red-Danger-Classic-History-Disasters/dp/0750948078

haulier

ROLT's book was excellent - I got an old p/back copy recently very cheap- there was another old
book in UK about rail crashes, was it O.S. NOCK ?

There is some quite good footage about [UK] rail disasters on http://britishpathe.com/video/train-crash/1

Mac A's book is a good read, but you should have kept going with your own - in this day & age, most with an interest would treat themselves. Its not often you get a chance to buy a decent read about Irish Railways