There was a train smash in January of 1858 at New Cross London where an ancestor was injured and he said in a letter to His NZ relations;
''I was travelling rail in Jan 58, when the train got a smash, there were several lost their lives, many more their limbs, and I was injured with the shock that I have never been well since, but am thankful to say if I am not able to do more, my house property will support me"
I contacted Railway Archives whose records show that there was such a smash at that time but no records have come to light.
Thanks Valda, My previous post was taken from a transcription which has proved to be inaccurate .... it was in fact January not June. I shall try the link ........... I suppose 'Lewisham'? Joe
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Yes Prue ........... that was the link I put in my initial post ....... I did post the information that I had but their response was simply 'Very interesting ........ thank you' ....... so obviously they are looking for something more 'official' It must have been a nasty accident and I am surprised that they have no record.
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Unfortunately railway accidents were all too common in those days. It's rather like someone researching in the year 2112 and expecting to find reports of every bad road accident, when in reality only the really bad pile-ups are ever reported in the national press.
.....A collision near New Cross on the Brighton line, on 22nd January, was clearly caused by the mistake of the driver of a goods engine, and he admits his mistake; the night foreman of the traffic department also appears to have "acted indiscreetly." The public will shudder when they are informed that at this time of night (between 11 and 12) there was no pointsman in charge of the switches; the guard whose duty it was to work them was engaged with his lamps, and so the driver actually held them over himself and resigned his engine to the care of the fireman; the wrong lever was turned, and the engine was turned on the main line instead of into a siding.......
Whatever the goods engine collided with I doubt it was with a passenger train at that time of night in the 1850s. No injuries or fatalities were mentioned.
.....A collision near New Cross on the Brighton line, on 22nd January, was clearly caused by the mistake of the driver of a goods engine, and he admits his mistake; the night foreman of the traffic department also appears to have "acted indiscreetly." The public will shudder when they are informed that at this time of night (between 11 and 12) there was no pointsman in charge of the switches; the guard whose duty it was to work them was engaged with his lamps, and so the driver actually held them over himself and resigned his engine to the care of the fireman; the wrong lever was turned, and the engine was turned on the main line instead of into a siding.......
Whatever the goods engine collided with I doubt it was with a passenger train at that time of night in the 1850s. No injuries or fatalities were mentioned.
Regards
Valda
Hi Valda, The London,Brighton and South Coast Railway seems to have had a number of incidents. The particular one I refer to took place on 22 January which is acknowledged when you click the link in my first post which states;
Primary Cause ....Awaiting Information Secondary Cause....Awaiting Information Result Collision Unknown fatalities, unknown number of injured Accident Investigation Status; We believe this accident is subject to a published formal accident investigation, but we have not yet published it.
So it looks as though there was no report or it mislaid or lost I guess. Joe
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Valda
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There very well might be a surviving report at The National Archives it's just the website of those interested in railway history you site don't seem to have found it. It doesn't seem a particularly major incident. The other railway accidents detailed in The Times article for that year, where there were fatalities, mentioned them. I don't think passenger trains ran at night as early as the 1850s (not an expert so I could be proved wrong) so unless the person you are interested in was working for the railways he is unlikely to have been involved in this night time collision near New Cross. The Times in July is listing the train crashes that have occurred throughout the year up till then, including the one in January. It gives the specific date for it of 22nd January. That is the one from the newspaper report I have copied. The one near New Cross.
Hi Valda, I searched TNA and found the smash ref ... RAIL 1053/56 so as there may be numerous sheets to be copied in the whole file I have just asked for an estimate (their suggestion) for a copy of those who were killed or maimed and they indicated a wait of 10 days for such estimate. So watch this space. Joe
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