A J Veitch
1992: Earth Fault!
Apologies for the very poor picture quality, but this upload is about the derailment rather than photography. Not one of my photos, but I was on this train when it derailed, sat at the window behind the open door in fact. If ever there was a day I wish I'd had a camera with me this was it, but I've had to make do with this very poor scan of a newspaper cutting.
This was the scene on Wednesday 25th March 1992 when the train I was travelling home on at the end of a night shift became derailed while travelling at about 50mph over pointwork near Bickley Junction at about 08:18 that morning.
This was the 0750ish from Victoria to Ramsgate or Dover (can't remember which at the moment) via Chatham.
Working a week of 12-hour nights (1930-0730) in the RfD Control at Paddington that week, I had nodded off somewhere between Victoria and Bromley South and was woken violently from my slumbers when the bogie I was travelling immediately above leapt from the rails of the Down Chatham Slow and crossed violently onto the Up Line, ripping up track and lineside equipment as it banged and lurched forward.
Everything happened as if in slow motion and I can remember specifically two things as we lurched and crashed onward - first, mounting concern over the approaching supports of the bridge which carried the South Eastern Main Line over the Chatham Main Line at this point (just visible at the right-hand side of the photo), and secondly concern also for several P.Way men who were stood on the Up Slow as this carriage approached sideways-on, churning up track, ballast and clouds of dust as it headed directly for them.
My worst fears were fortunately not realised in both cases - the P.Way chaps crossed safely to the Up Side cess by crossing the Fast Lines, and the train came to a halt before striking the bridge supports - which was nice!
With those fears receding as the train was coming to rest, the next worry was the potential that a train might be approaching on the Down Fast which the part of the train I was in was now foul of.
The aforementioned P.Way gangers had the excellent presence of mind under the circumstances to by now be running in each direction to try to stop any traffic which may be moving on the adjacent lines. Fortunately there was nothing in the vicinity, and it was time for the dust to settle.
Time to evacuate the train, but not without due care for the likely test re-energisation of the third rail after a tripping. Sure enough, while I was at the door of the unit (on the other side) considering my options there was a bang, flash, and another cloud of dust and flying ballast as it was duly re-energised and tripped back out again! A glance back toward Bickley Jn found a trail of destruction in our wake, including a gas cylinder blazing nicely from its outlet valve.
Another thing I'll never forget is the look on the driver's face as he walked back to investigate. I encountered him as he was walking along the concrete troughing under the bridge at the moment he first saw the devastation: "What the f*****g hell's happened here" I believe his words were.....
For me, and the few passengers on board, it was up on to the concrete platform of the electrical substation to get out of the way and await developments. It wasn't much longer before the air filled with the sound of emergency services sirens and a huge fleet of ambulances and fire engines converged on Chislehurst signal box (roughly behind the photographer in this picture).
After a check-up by ambulance personnel I was given a lift to Grove Park in an ambulance and then continued on my journey home via Hither Green and Dartford to Gillingham. Home indoors and in bed by about 2pm to get up at 5pm for another journey to London (this time via Dartford) and another 12-hour night shift.
I have never been able to track down a copy of the accident report and would dearly love to, along with any better photographs, but I suppose the existence of such photos is probably quite unlikely now.
As a result I don't know the reason for this derailment, although the 'grapevine' at the time indicated that some equipment had been pinching cabling attached to a point motor for some time and that this had eventually led to a circuit being erroneously completed and the points changing when the coach I was travelling in was running over the points - the leading bogie taking the correct line, and the trailing bogie trying to cross over to the Down Fast.
It would be great to track down a proper accident report and find out what really happened.
Update No1 (20th July 2009):
Further to my ramblings above, I think I have found a reference on-line to an incident in the Bickley area at: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/strike-curbs-could-follow-r... which says little more than the Driver was held responsible, and indicates the date as being Thursday 8th September 1994.
Update No 2 (28th July 2009):
Having spoken to the ORR (Office of the Rail Regulator) I have now had verbal advice that this incident occurred at approximately 08:18 on Wednesday 25th March 1992, and was indeed caused by an S&T-related technical defect. It seems that there wasn't a formal investigation into this derailment but the ORR are looking at their archives to see if they hold any further information.
Update No.3 (20th October 2009):
The only information held by the ORR is as follows:
"There were derailments at Bickley (SR) London , where an incorrect design of point detection wiring had not been discovered and corrected despite a special check. As a result an EMU was derailed after an obstruction had stopped a point blade from moving"
One of five reportable accidents caused by 'wrong-side signalling equipment failures' in 1992, the others listed being at Aberdeen, Marylebone, Craigendoran and Rayleigh.
1992: Earth Fault!
Apologies for the very poor picture quality, but this upload is about the derailment rather than photography. Not one of my photos, but I was on this train when it derailed, sat at the window behind the open door in fact. If ever there was a day I wish I'd had a camera with me this was it, but I've had to make do with this very poor scan of a newspaper cutting.
This was the scene on Wednesday 25th March 1992 when the train I was travelling home on at the end of a night shift became derailed while travelling at about 50mph over pointwork near Bickley Junction at about 08:18 that morning.
This was the 0750ish from Victoria to Ramsgate or Dover (can't remember which at the moment) via Chatham.
Working a week of 12-hour nights (1930-0730) in the RfD Control at Paddington that week, I had nodded off somewhere between Victoria and Bromley South and was woken violently from my slumbers when the bogie I was travelling immediately above leapt from the rails of the Down Chatham Slow and crossed violently onto the Up Line, ripping up track and lineside equipment as it banged and lurched forward.
Everything happened as if in slow motion and I can remember specifically two things as we lurched and crashed onward - first, mounting concern over the approaching supports of the bridge which carried the South Eastern Main Line over the Chatham Main Line at this point (just visible at the right-hand side of the photo), and secondly concern also for several P.Way men who were stood on the Up Slow as this carriage approached sideways-on, churning up track, ballast and clouds of dust as it headed directly for them.
My worst fears were fortunately not realised in both cases - the P.Way chaps crossed safely to the Up Side cess by crossing the Fast Lines, and the train came to a halt before striking the bridge supports - which was nice!
With those fears receding as the train was coming to rest, the next worry was the potential that a train might be approaching on the Down Fast which the part of the train I was in was now foul of.
The aforementioned P.Way gangers had the excellent presence of mind under the circumstances to by now be running in each direction to try to stop any traffic which may be moving on the adjacent lines. Fortunately there was nothing in the vicinity, and it was time for the dust to settle.
Time to evacuate the train, but not without due care for the likely test re-energisation of the third rail after a tripping. Sure enough, while I was at the door of the unit (on the other side) considering my options there was a bang, flash, and another cloud of dust and flying ballast as it was duly re-energised and tripped back out again! A glance back toward Bickley Jn found a trail of destruction in our wake, including a gas cylinder blazing nicely from its outlet valve.
Another thing I'll never forget is the look on the driver's face as he walked back to investigate. I encountered him as he was walking along the concrete troughing under the bridge at the moment he first saw the devastation: "What the f*****g hell's happened here" I believe his words were.....
For me, and the few passengers on board, it was up on to the concrete platform of the electrical substation to get out of the way and await developments. It wasn't much longer before the air filled with the sound of emergency services sirens and a huge fleet of ambulances and fire engines converged on Chislehurst signal box (roughly behind the photographer in this picture).
After a check-up by ambulance personnel I was given a lift to Grove Park in an ambulance and then continued on my journey home via Hither Green and Dartford to Gillingham. Home indoors and in bed by about 2pm to get up at 5pm for another journey to London (this time via Dartford) and another 12-hour night shift.
I have never been able to track down a copy of the accident report and would dearly love to, along with any better photographs, but I suppose the existence of such photos is probably quite unlikely now.
As a result I don't know the reason for this derailment, although the 'grapevine' at the time indicated that some equipment had been pinching cabling attached to a point motor for some time and that this had eventually led to a circuit being erroneously completed and the points changing when the coach I was travelling in was running over the points - the leading bogie taking the correct line, and the trailing bogie trying to cross over to the Down Fast.
It would be great to track down a proper accident report and find out what really happened.
Update No1 (20th July 2009):
Further to my ramblings above, I think I have found a reference on-line to an incident in the Bickley area at: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/strike-curbs-could-follow-r... which says little more than the Driver was held responsible, and indicates the date as being Thursday 8th September 1994.
Update No 2 (28th July 2009):
Having spoken to the ORR (Office of the Rail Regulator) I have now had verbal advice that this incident occurred at approximately 08:18 on Wednesday 25th March 1992, and was indeed caused by an S&T-related technical defect. It seems that there wasn't a formal investigation into this derailment but the ORR are looking at their archives to see if they hold any further information.
Update No.3 (20th October 2009):
The only information held by the ORR is as follows:
"There were derailments at Bickley (SR) London , where an incorrect design of point detection wiring had not been discovered and corrected despite a special check. As a result an EMU was derailed after an obstruction had stopped a point blade from moving"
One of five reportable accidents caused by 'wrong-side signalling equipment failures' in 1992, the others listed being at Aberdeen, Marylebone, Craigendoran and Rayleigh.