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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. The second excursion train, scheduled to leave Margate at 20:05 was to be crewed by Driver Wilsdon, Secondman P.E. [1] The station comprised a hybrid of structures: a main building from 1931, a waiting shelter from 1895, and a footbridge from about 1907. All three of these coaches were leaning over on their left sides to various degrees, with the leading end of the fifth coach having been badly damaged by the impact with the fourth coach. RSS Feeds Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash in pictures: Remembering - MyLondon It also meant that his Supervisors at Hither Green would not see him in person. 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. That day the Harrow Observer reported the horrific accident and 66 years later, getwestlondon pays tribute to the victims. Upon completing his phone conversation, Wilsdon returned to his cab and departed having been stopped at Rainham for about four minutes. An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. Please note that the Railways Archive is not responsible for the content of external websites. They prepared the train which consisted of a Class 47 diesel locomotive and 10 coaches. At about 15:20 he booked on duty by telephone with Hither Green depot and travelled by train to Ramsgate. Credits Further modernisation was the order of the day in 1931, when stations at Bexleyheath, Welling, and Eltham (Well Hall) were rebuilt. The front of the cab was torn open and debris thrown and 'ploughed' inside, killing Wilsdon and severely injuring Stokes. 2 ELTHAM WELL HALL RAIL CRASH Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images The driver Robert Wilsdon and five passengers were killed, and 126 people were injured. Eltham Well Hall rail crash explained The Bexleyheath Line was double-track from the outset and, except for the layout at Barnehurst, stations along the route were built to the same standard design. country. He immediately tried to signal to the driver to stop but was unable to gain Wilsdon's attention. About: Eltham Well Hall rail crash - dbpedia.org By the time the train approached Eltham Well Hall station it was running at around 65 miles per hour (105km/h). An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. 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. 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. Eltham Well Hall rail crash - YouTube . 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. It was suggested at the time that the closure of both existing Eltham stations and the provision of a new, single set of platforms would save British Rail 45,700 (158,400 at 2018 prices) per year in operating costs. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. 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 second incident occurred on 28 March 1969, when Wilsdon was fined 1 for being drunk in Lewisham. 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 was agreed as there was no evidence to the contrary and it was believed that Wilsdon was travelling to Ramsgate at this time. He had worked with Wilsdon a few times before and considered him an experienced driver. The original document format was Stapled Book, and comprised 27 pages. At 15:22 Wilsdon signed on duty with Hither Green by telephone. The only other theory was that Wilsdon had obtained a bottle of spirits at some point, stored it on his person and had drunk it at some point after leaving Margate, and later disposed of the glass by throwing it out the window of the locomotive, with the theory being that Wilsdon either obtained the bottle at some point whilst in Margate or had kept one on his person since he left Rainham for work. 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. Eltham Well Hall rail crash - Wikipedia The driver Robert Wilsdon and five passengers were killed, and 126 people were injured. 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". 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. An Inter-City express ran into a freight train carrying 30,000 gallons of fuel oil, after the . 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. 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. 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 actions of his superior regarding this incident were criticised as "unwise" but were not considered a serious failing. Eltham station - Tickets & Information | Grand Central Despite his experience and long time working on the railways, Wilsdon had been reprimanded five times throughout his career. wikipedia.en/Eltham_Well_Hall_rail_crash.md at main - Github This travel time and distance between Rainham and Hither Green played a key role in the accident that occurred.[2]. The front of the cab was torn open and debris thrown and 'ploughed' inside, killing Wilsdon and severely injuring Stokes. Well Hall was located exactly nine miles from Charing Cross upon an 86-chain curve, descending at 1 in 120 in the London direction. I am a dreamer who dreams of a world full of Emergency services were notified, and arrived between 21:40 and 21:42. 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. Computations later proved that the driver had apparently shut off power where required, but had not made a brake application. Emergency treatment for the driver's injured mate after the crash of an excursion train from Margate outside Well Hall Station, Eltham, London, last night Press Association Photos At about 15:20 he booked on duty by telephone with Hither Green depot and travelled by train to Ramsgate. 2004 - 2023 railwaysarchive.co.uk - all rights reserved. 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. Transport Libraries 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. In the Electric Railway Society Journal in 1981, the following was reported: Eltham Well Hall station is to be replaced by a massive bus/rail interchange at Glenlea Road. It seems these splashes were too late and light to register in the cab. The crew left the cab for a few minutes and as a result the train departed from Margate eight minutes late. 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. This took the platforms beyond the bridge which carried the running lines over Well Hall Road, and a new entrance was opened between the latter and the stations down platform, by means of a staircase upon the embankment. The report into the derailment at Eltham in 1972, caused by the intoxicated driver taking a sharp curve at excessive speed. Well Hall, Eltham, train crash, 1972: an injured train driver being carried to an ambulance. The cause of the crash was concluded to be intoxication of the driver. He had worked with Wilsdon occasionally before and had driven with him a few times prior. 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. The train passed through at high speed without braking and sped into the curve at around 65 miles per hour (105km/h). The locomotive . 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.". At the subsequent public inquiry it was revealed that the driver had been intoxicated by alcohol. Lessons learned from Cannon Street crash - Rail Exactly where the pair went in this period is unknown owing to Wilsdon's death and Stokes having little recollection of the events after leaving Ramsgate and although another pub was close to the station, it was considered that neither had time to reach it.[2]. 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. There was an imbalance with the urine alcohol level which made it very likely that the driver had also been drinking alcohol within an hour of his death, meaning it was possible he had been drinking at the controls. However when approaching Eltham Park railway station he became concerned at the train's apparent speed and more so as it neared Eltham Well Hall, where a sharp curve changed the train's direction from southwest to northwest. 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. 1973 . The driver Robert Wilsdon and five passengers were killed, and 126 people were injured. Attached to the building was an arched-roof platform canopy with clover-patterned valance, a style which is still evident today at Paddock Wood. He was thoroughly critical of Wilsdon's behaviour, describing it as "reprehensible" and "disgraceful". Pin on Eltham David Glasspool Collection. Wilsdon did not meet with the supervisor at Ramsgate, likely owing to the fact that his was the only Class 47 engine at the depot and would have been easy to find. 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. Trying to gain Wilsdon's attention, he made two light applications ("splashes") of the guard's brake. Stokes was 18 years old and had been working on the railways for almost two years at the time of the accident, having been based at Hither Green this entire time. This travel time and distance between Rainham and Hither Green played a key role in the accident that occurred.[2]. The actor Phil Daniels, star of Quadrophenia, Scum, and later EastEnders was aboard one of the derailed coaches with his parents after a day trip. Stationmaster Arundell signalled the train clear to depart for London, but both he and Atterbury found that there was no response in the cab. Two of them were the beer bottles that Stationmaster Arundell had seen at Margate and both were confirmed to have been unopened. Return to the Kent Rail Homepage or alternatively, check for Updates.

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