55 years ago tonight

[hq1hitchin]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2zZIFtg9KE&noredirect=1

Nowadays it would be the railways board in court, rather than poor Driver Trew. He was treated abominably in my opinion.

[Mickey]

I have read about this accident on a number of occasions down the years (as well as several others) and find it a interesting accident to read.

The primary cause of the accident was 'missed signals' by the driver of the express but secondary causes were the weather (foggy conditions at the time) the restricted view ahead of the locomotive (a Bulleid un-rebuilt light pacfic of the Battle of Britain class no.34066 Spitfire) with it's long boiler side sheets and narrow width cab with restricted lookout for the driver also another factor possisbly may have been a 'out of course' water stop at Sevenoaks station (21 miles from Canon Street) that may have been on driver Trew's mind while driving(?) and also the non-fitting of AWS equipment.

Mickey

[Andy W]

For those who are not aware Driver Trew had to stand trial for manslaughter at the Old Bailey. The jury couldn't reach a verdict and he was sent for re-trial. By this time his health had, quite understandably, deteriorated and after a public petition on his behalf, the charges were dropped.

A quite appalling chain of events.

[Mickey]

Does anyone know what happened to the train crew in the years after being involved in the Lewisham accident?.

Driver W.J.Trew was born in 1895 and was 62 years old at the time of the accident and had started on the railway in 1912 and had been driving for 18 years at the time of the accident in December 1957 I suppose he could have lived on into the 1960s or 1970s?.

Fireman C.D.Hoare was born in 1925 and was 32 years old at the time of the accident and had started on the railway in 1945 and had been a fireman for 10 years at the time of the accident in December 1957 I suppose it's possible he's still alive today but ordinarily he may have lived on into the 1990s or 2000s?.

Guard E.W.Humphries there isn't any personal background information known about him other than he was a 'goods guard' by grade but had also worked as a guard on express (passenger) train workings on the main line for the last 6 or 7 years prior to the accident.

The above information was obtained from the Official Accident report into-

The Lewisham Collision which occuried on 4th December 1957 near St.Johns Station Lewisham in the Southern Region of British Railways.

Mickey

[sandwhich]

I have picked up that after his second court appearance Driver Trew left the railways and died in 1959 no doubt his health completely broken.

Before I discovered this thread I recently found out through a family connection that the Driver of the Holborn Viaduct to Dartford service involved is still alive and well into his 80s. He had stopped at a red signal which changed to yellow and was crawling to the next signal in thick fog when he pulled up very quickly when he saw the bridge had subsided in front of him he then allowed his train to roll back clear, although against the rules it was accepted that his quick thinking saved lives.

[Mickey]

I have picked up that after his second court appearance Driver Trew left the railways and died in 1959 no doubt his health completely broken.

Not to surprising I suppose that he didn't last to long after the accident because that was a very heavy 'cross to bear' for any human being and especially a sad ending for a railwayman like driver Trew with a long service record behind him as well.

Before I discovered this thread I recently found out through a family connection that the Driver of the Holborn Viaduct to Dartford service involved is still alive and well into his 80s. He had stopped at a red signal which changed to yellow and was crawling to the next signal in thick fog when he pulled up very quickly when he saw the bridge had subsided in front of him he then allowed his train to roll back clear, although against the rules it was accepted that his quick thinking saved lives.

Really sandwhich he's still alive in 2016 blimey he was one lucky so and so that evening!!.

Thanks for the information.

Mickey

[Mickey]

Partly from memory (and the official accident report) the train loco that was booked to work the 4:56pm Canon Street to Ramsgate express was a Bulleid Battle of Britain light pacific no.34066 Spitfire and she had departed light engine from Stewarts Lane shed at 3:15pm that afternoon with a shed crew and a full tender of water bound for Rotherhithe Road carriage sidings to 'pick up' her train. After leaving Stewarts Lane the loco had then taken a circuitous route 'around the houses' of south London via Nunhead (across the very railway bridge that she would bring down a couple of hours later at St.Johns Lewisham) Blackheath & North Kent East Junction arriving late at Rotherhithe Road carriage sidings at 4:45pm due to the dislocation of traffic caused by the widespread foggy conditions that prevailed across south London that afternoon.

The ECS that formed the stock for the 4:56pm from Cannon Street to Ramsgate consisted of 11 boogie coaches and was 'top & tailed' at both ends with 'the train engine' no.34066 Spitfire bringing up in the rear of the train and a pilot engine being attached to the front end of the train for the run up to Canon Street. A bit more time was lost departing Rotherhithe Road carriage sidings due to some 'reverse shunting' that was required of the ECS before the train finally exited Rotherhithe Road carriage sidings for the run up to Canon Street. The journey to Canon Street was slow due to the foggy conditions but eventually the 4:56pm ECS arrived up platform no.6 at Canon Street at 5:55pm over 1 hour late.

Driver Trew & fireman Hoare relieved the shed crew on no.34066 and driver Trew was informed that 'she was low on water' (half a tender full) so he decided to make a un-scheduled stop at Sevenoaks (21 miles out from Canon Street) instead of running through to Tonbridge (28 miles out from Canon Street) as the booked first stop after departing Canon Street.

At 6:18pm on that fogbound Canon Street station whistles were blown as the 4:56pm for Ramsgate with green lights at the end of Canon Street station finally departed over 80 minutes late for Ramsgate with driver Trew at the controls of no.34066 Spitfire and with fireman Hoare busy building his fire no.34066 after some usually slipping 'got to grips' with her 11 coach train behind the tender and slowly disappeared into the dark foggy London evening across the pointswork beyond the platform ends and on into railway history...

Mickey

[sandwhich]

I know many will know this, but during the 1950s until 1988 you had to be 23 years of age and have completed two years as a Fireman/Secondman to become a Driver, many firemen in the London area did this by applying for Drivers positions at the Southern suburban electric depots as soon as they could, but many Firemen at the outer and coastal steam depots were reluctant to do to do this so most stayed where they were to become Drivers at those sheds rather than move,thus the difference in ages that occurred.
As regards the Driver of the Dartford service, the sight of the crash and fallen bridge on that dark and very foggy night must have haunted him ever since.

[1H was 2E]

In the book Thirty Years at Bricklayers Arms by Michael Jackman another contributory factor is given. Spitfire left Stewarts Lane at 3.15 p.m. with a full tank of water, and the fire was made up for a 4.56 departure. However, due to congestion the loco did not arrive at Cannon Street until 5.55. Mr Bulleid did not consider that his engines required dampers, so for the protracted light engine journey the fireman was unable to restrain the fire; it was blowing off for most of the journey and it reaches Cannon Street with only half a tank.There was no water column at the head of their train. The crew therefore had another factor to worry about; running out of water, the first crane being at Sevenoaks.
A factor that would normally have been trivial was that the 5.25 Hastings was mis-described as the 5.18 Hayes. This was stopped at Parks Bridge Jct where the signalman resolved the issue, but this caused the (real) 5.18 to be stopped behind it, on a rising gradient - and it was this train that was struck by Spitfire.
Major accidents often seem to be a combination of many trivial things each of which happen routinely and are resolved, combined with an unlucky event. It was the bridge collapse that converted a collision into a disaster; just as , at Harrow the down train colliding with the wreckage did. If that train had been half a minute earlier it would have passed before the first collision; a little later, and it would have been stopped by signals. It was late start from Euston due to brake problems and had two locos on (?cause of problems), one working home. Probably the crews were trying to make up time, and they had ample power to pick up speed.

[Mickey]

..., at Harrow the down train colliding with the wreckage did. If that train had been half a minute earlier it would have passed before the first collision; a little later, and it would have been stopped by signals. It was late start from Euston due to brake problems and had two locos on (?cause of problems), one working home. Probably the crews were trying to make up time, and they had ample power to pick up speed.

As you probably know 1H was 2E the leading loco at the head of the double-headed Down Euston-Liverpool Manchester express that ploughed into the wreckage of the first collision between the Up stopping passenger train standing in the Up fast line platform at Harrow and the following Up express that piled into the rear of it was none other than no.46202 Pincess Anne Turbomotive a 'one off' 4-6-2 experimental locomotive. After the collision she was moved to Crewe works but was later deemed to be damaged beyond economical repair and scrapped.

A retired signalman/signalling ops manager off the Euston-Watford area during the 1950s-2000s once told me back in the early 1990s that shortly after the 1952 Harrow collision British Railways provided AWS equipment at Harrow no.1s Up fast & Up slow line colour light distant signals in particular which he implied was typical of the railway.

Mickey

[Mickey]

I know many will know this, but during the 1950s until 1988 you had to be 23 years of age and have completed two years as a Fireman/Secondman to become a Driver, many firemen in the London area did this by applying for Drivers positions at the Southern suburban electric depots as soon as they could, but many Firemen at the outer and coastal steam depots were reluctant to do to do this so most stayed where they were to become Drivers at those sheds rather than move,thus the difference in ages that occurred.

When I was a secondman at Kings Cross between 1974-75 three Kings Cross secondmen friends of mine all went over to the southern region sometime around 1976-77 after all three had passed out for driving, two went to Selhurst Park and the other one went to London Bridge.

Another old railway friend of mine once told me around 1968 that a couple of years earlier he had thought of going to Nine Elms on the southern region and becoming a fireman before steam finished altogether apparently they were short handed during the last couple of years before it finally finished over there.

I remember a ex-southern region driver who had transferred to Kings Cross circa 1974 who still appeared to wear his southern region summer motoman's light grey uniform jacket and peak cap with the southern region British Railways badge across the front of the cap.

Mickey

[thesignalman]

I don't have sufficient knowledge of the Lewisham accident to add any direct comment but knowing that at least two of the above correspondents are aware of my interest in old buses I thought I would mention that I do have an indirect souvenir of the accident.

I have a metal plate for mounting over the bonnet of a London Bus inscribed "SPECIAL SERVICE" and showing the stations the railway replacement service ran between. I forget the actual stations on it (I don't have it here) but unfortunately all but the "SPECIAL SERVICE" bit has been painted over for other use - nevertheless all is revealed when held to the light. Quite remarkable that hand-painted plates were produced for this purpose but I guess the line was closed for some weeks.

John

[sandwhich]

There has been one common denominator with four serious rail accidents in the London Area, AWS, at both Harrow and Lewisham it was stated that had it been in place at the time these two accidents may not have happened, after both of these accidents the introduction was speeded up, more so after Lewisham. At Southall the AWS was isolated, after this any failure or isolation the train is OUT OF SERVICE thats it, after Ladbroke Grove TPAWS was rolled out very quickly. Now as we know if a Driver isolates this equipment and tries to stay in service and fails to report it he or she will face prison.

[Mickey]

It's getting to be a pretty interesting and varied thread.

Reference to the Lewisham collision in 1957 apparently (if I read it correctly?) there is some court ruling whereby the railway company involved (at the time of the Lewisham accident it was British Railways) that they the company have a 'duty of care' to anyone who was involved in a accident and that doesn't necessarily mean that the individual was directly involved in the actual 'train crash' but a individual may have been part of the rescue effort?. This ruling came about after a member of the public a man who lived in a house very close to the accident scene at Lewisham St. Johns took it upon himself to rescue injured passengers by crawling under the wrecked carriages to free them and pull them out and also to recover the dead as well anyway the aftermath of the accident had a detrimental effect on his own health and he died in 1962.

Apparently the company involved has a 'duty of care' to anyone who was effected by a accident even if that individual WASN'T directly involved in the 'train crash' but may have been a volunteer rescuer, the original court ruling still stands today.

Mickey

[sandwhich]

Whilst looking through the web as regards the Lewisham Accident, I came across a local newspaper interview from November 2007 given by the Driver of the Dartford train that managed to stop short. Seeing that something was wrong he said that he thought the bridge had collapsed and because of the thick fog had not realised what had actually happened until told a little while after. He did not set back with his train as I first thought but with the help of his Guard and a signalman they got the passengers off (slam door stock). They could not be de trained on the St Johns Station side not only because of the crash scene but the train stood on an embankment the only way off the train was across to houses where hundreds of passengers with the help of the householders made their way over fences through gardens, kitchens and living rooms to gain access to the streets around the scene. He was praised at the enquiry for his very quick thinking in stopping his train that no doubt saved many more lives. He stayed with his train all night and moved it away from the scene in the early hours.