| Lewisham rail crash (1857) | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 28 June 1857 22:55 |
| Location | near Lewisham railway station |
| Coordinates | 51°27′54″N 0°00′35″W / 51.465°N 0.0096°W / 51.465; -0.0096 |
| Country | England |
| Line | North Kent Line |
| Operator | South Eastern Railway |
| Cause | Signal passed at danger |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Deaths | 11 |
| Injured | 30 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
On 28 June 1857, two trains collided just east of Lewisham railway station in London, killing 11 and injuring 30 more. The 14-carriage 9:15pm from Strood, which was running 15 minutes late, pulled up 200 yards short of Lewisham station at a red signal. The guard took a red lamp to the rear of the train to warn the 9:30 train following. When he heard the approaching train he ran towards it blowing his whistle and waving the lamp. It appears that he was not seen by the driver and the standing train was struck at a speed of around 20 mph (30 km/h), destroying the brake van and rear carriage.
A telegraph system was in place which should have prevented the second train from leaving the preceding Blackheath station until the leading train had cleared Lewisham, using a system of signal bells being rung in the signal boxes. The signals sent and received were recorded in registers kept in the signal boxes: the investigation determined that the line-clear signal had not been sent by the Lewisham signal box, despite being recorded in the Blackheath book. The driver and fireman of the second train and the Blackheath signalman were charged with "neglect of duty causing the deaths of 11 persons".
References
- Wilson Railway Accidents
- "Accident at Lewisham on 28th June 1857". The Railways Archive. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
Sources
- The Times 1857 :
- 30 June page 5 "Frightful Accident on the North Kent Railway"
- 9 July page 12 "The Fatal Accident on the North Kent Railway"
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 1860s | |
| Railway accidents and incidents in the United Kingdom, 1815–1899 | |
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| ‡ indicates railway accidents and incidents resulting in at least 20 fatalities 1900–1999 | |
- Railway accidents in 1857
- 1857 in England
- Railway accidents and incidents in London
- Transport in the London Borough of Lewisham
- History of the London Borough of Lewisham
- Accidents and incidents involving South Eastern Railway (UK)
- June 1857 events
- Train collisions in England
- Rail accidents caused by a driver's error
- 1857 disasters in the United Kingdom