Castlecary (East Dunbartonshire) rail accident
| Date | 10 December 1937 |
|---|---|
| Location | Castlecary |
| Country | Scotland |
| Rail line | Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line |
| Operator | London and North Eastern Railway |
| Cause | Signalman error |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Deaths | 35 |
| Injuries | 179 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
Two rail accidents near Castlecary have occurred in Scotland. One of these was in 1937 and one in 1968.
An accident occurred on the evening of 10 December 1937, at Castlecary in Scotland, in snowy weather conditions. Two trains were involved in a collision on the Edinburgh to Glasgow main line of the LNER, killing 35 people.
In a whiteout at 6pm, the 5.30pm Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street commuter express collided with the late running 4.20pm local train from Dundee Tay Bridge to Glasgow Queen Street. The locomotive, LNER Class A3 no. 2744 Grand Parade, hit the rear of the standing local service in Castlecary station at an estimated 70 mph. This location is confined and the rear four coaches disintegrated completely. The express engine "Grand Parade" was damaged beyond repair, to be replaced by a new engine with the same number and name in April 1938. The engine of the local train, an LNER Class D29 no. 9896 "Dandie Dinmont", was pushed forward 100 yards with the brakes on.
The death toll was 35 (including 7 train crew) and 179 people were hurt, most of them seriously. An eight-year-old girl was counted as missing. Poignantly some locals swore to seeing the ghost of the girl for many years. The driver of the Edinburgh train was committed to court on a charge of culpable homicide (Scottish equivalent of manslaughter) for supposedly driving too fast in the weather conditions, but the charge was dropped. The Inspecting Officer concluded that it was the signalman who was principally at fault for the disaster. This was Britain's worst snow-related rail crash, others of note being Elliot Junction in 1906 and Abbots Ripton in 1876.
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