Danger on the Line: Part 2

Previously unpublished information on accidents on the St. Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway gathered by Dr. John Tolson for his book on the undertaking [The St. Helens Railway, Its Rivals and Successors: The Oakwood Press, 1983, ISBN 0 853612927].

This account from the Wigan Examiner of 19th September 1856 illustrates that even in those days there were vandals causing damage and potential danger:

"Early on Friday morning last an accident, attended with serious loss, occurred on the branch line of rails leading from the St. Helens Railway to the Chain Colliery and to Blackleyhurst Collieries in Parr. It appears that three powerful engines used by the Blackleyhurst Colliery Company for colliery purposes, namely the Ribble, the John Smith and the Garston started about 6 o-clock from the Sutton shed on the St. Helens Railway with a long, heavily laden train of coal wagons, containing among other things a large number of timber props for the mines and proceeded on the branch line towards the collieries, the three engines being coupled together and propelling the wagons in advance. When they arrived at a place known as the Red Gate Bridge at Blackbrook, about two miles from the main line, and where there is another branch of rails leading to the Blackleyhurst Colliery, with self acting points, the wagons struck the points with great force and a number of them were thrown off the line and ran into the earth, ploughing up the ground for a considerable distance, until their progress was arrested by becoming fast imbedded when six of the wagons were smashed to fragments and the remainder of the train was brought to a standstill. Fortunately the brakesman who was in the second wagon , immediately they struck jumped out and escaped with some slight bruises, otherwise his life would most probably have been lost. No damage was done to the engines and the engineers escaped unhurt. The construction of these heavy coal wagons is very expensive and the damage will amount to nearly £200. It was difficult to account for the accident but on examination the points were discovered to be half turned and wedges placed between the rails and it would appear to have been done maliciously."

In September 1858, a somewhat spectacular accident at St. Helens Junction involved the death of a 14 year old boy, Charles Whittaker, and was described in graphic detail in the St. Helens Intelligencer :

"On Saturday, an engine, called the Hero, proceeded from Sutton Sheds to the points at the Pear Tree House, where the boy got on the buffers behind the engine, unperceived by the engine driver who proceeded along the Parr Branch. A coal train was seen coming up the same line of rails, drawn by the engine Goliath, and both engine drivers, seeing the danger, immediately reversed their engines, and then, with their stokers, jumped off. A slight collision, however, took place and then the engine Hero, before the driver and stoker could regain their places, bounded off at full steam, with the poor boy still on the buffer; it ran past the points at the junction of the branch, where the pointsman endeavoured to throw it off the line, and rushed at full speed to the terminus at the junction, where it broke down the railings, ran across the road and knocked down the middle part of the station belonging to the London and North Western Railway, where its progress was arrested and the dead body of the boy found. The stationmaster at the junction, his mother and three children, who were in bed in the house at the time, had a miraculous escape. Some blame appeared to be attached to the engine driver of the Hero for proceeding down the Up line of the branch; but the jury, after a long consultation, returned a verdict of 'Accidental death'."

Two months later in November 1858, the MS&L was none too pleased to learn that its 2-4-0 tender engine Actaeon, built in 1849 but newly outshopped, had fallen into the canal at Sankey Bridges. It had taken over the Kings Cross to Garston train from a failed engine at Guide Bridge, but being needed for other work, was required to return there the same night. Typically no one had told the stationmaster at Sankey Bridges, so after the train had left he opened the bridge to allow canal traffic to pass during the night. As it was foggy, the driver missed the danger signal and the engine plunged into the icy water. The tender remained on the bridge, and the driver and fireman were shaken but otherwise unhurt. The locomotive was found to be little the worse for wear, and after its rescue a few days later, during which time no less than forty flats were delayed, it managed to survive until 1902.

Passenger train operation was often unbelievably casual, particularly at termini, and there are several incidents which adequately illustrated this. The method of running round trains at St. Helens while the passengers were still in them , was particularly fraught with danger. On 28th march 1857 the 6 p.m. from Runcorn Gap reached the canal bridge just short of the station, and the driver uncoupled the engine to let the train run on down the incline into the station in accordance with the usual practice.

"Unfortunately there was no van or guard attached to the train. And it ran rapidly down the incline, bounced over the pieces of wood placed at the end , and came in contact with a wall, and knocked it down; thus the progress of the train was stopped. The buffers of a second class carriage were broken off and the end of a carriage was broken in. None of the passengers were injured."

This last cryptic sentence shows the potentially lethal effect of this practice.

(To be concluded in the next Canal Cuttings.)

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