1913 Ais Gill rail accident
| Date | 2 September 1913 |
|---|---|
| Time | 03:04 |
| Location | Aisgill, Westmorland |
| Coordinates | 54°22′06″N 2°20′58″W / 54.368470°N 2.349350°WCoordinates: 54°22′06″N 2°20′58″W / 54.368470°N 2.349350°W |
| Country | England |
| Rail line | Settle-Carlisle Line |
| Cause | Signal passed at danger |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Passengers | 166 |
| Deaths | 16 |
| Injuries | 38 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
The Ais Gill rail accident occurred on the Settle-Carlisle Railway in the north of England on 2 September 1913. The proximate cause of the crash was a signal passed at danger, but there were a very large number of contributing factors.
The two trains involved were both passenger trains, which had left Carlisle railway station in the early hours of 2 September, destined for St Pancras station. The Midland Railway, which owned and operated the Settle-Carlisle line, had a policy of using small engines, and the two locomotives had barely sufficient power to surmount the steep gradients on the line with the heavy trains they were assigned. In theory, the load pulled by the first engine was slightly (13 tons) over its maximum limit (of 230 tons), so the driver asked for assistance from a pilot engine, but was not given one. To make matters worse, the coal with which both engines were supplied had not been properly screened and was full of slack and "small coal", which would not fire well and would tend to clog the grates.
The first train left Carlisle at 1:38 am. As it struggled up the gradient to Ais Gill summit, the highest point of the Settle-Carlisle line, the steam pressure steadily dropped to the point where the locomotive's ejectors were unable to generate enough vacuum to hold the train brakes "off", and so the train stopped a 1⁄2-mile (800 m) short of the summit. As they cleaned out the grate and tried to build up steam pressure, the driver and fireman made the mistake of telling the guard that they would only be standing for a few minutes. The guard therefore did not protect the train in the rear (by laying detonators or walking a considerable distance along the line with a lantern).
Meanwhile, the second train was also struggling, although it had a lighter load. Just short of Mallerstang, a few miles north of Ais Gill, the driver left the cab, to walk round the outside framing and oil some of the working parts while the train was in motion. Even though this procedure was no longer necessary because wick lubricators were in use, drivers apparently continued to do it out of habit and pride.
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