Kirtlebridge rail crash
| Date | 2 October 1872 |
|---|---|
| Location | Kirtlebridge |
| Coordinates | 55°03′00″N 3°12′43″W / 55.050°N 3.212°WCoordinates: 55°03′00″N 3°12′43″W / 55.050°N 3.212°W |
| Country | Scotland |
| Rail line | Caledonian Railway |
| Cause | Shunting took place without signalman's authority |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Deaths | 12 |
The Kirtlebridge rail crash took place in 1872 at Kirtlebridge railway station in Dumfriesshire. An express passenger train ran into a goods train that was shunting; 11 people lost their lives immediately, and one further person succumbed later. The cause was a failure to communicate between the station master in charge of the shunting operation, and the signalman. There was not full interlocking of the points and the block system of signalling was not in use.
The location was very close to the point where the present-day A74(M) road crosses the line.
Kirtlebridge station was nearly 17 miles (27 km) north of Carlisle, on the Caledonian Railway main line to Glasgow and Edinburgh. North of the passenger platforms there was a trailing (in the northbound direction) junction from the Solway Junction Railway, and a signalbox controlled the junction; the points there were interlocked with the signals.
South of the station there were sidings on both sides of the main line, and a crossover, but these points were not controlled by the signalbox, being operated by ground levers, and not interlocked, nor protected by the home signal. The block system was not in operation, and communication with adjacent locations was limited.
The line may be considered to run south to north at Kirtlebridge, the down direction being northwards. Down sidings were on the west of the line and up sidings on the east.
At 07:55 on 2 October 1872 a down goods train arrived at the station and started shunting operations; there were several wagons to be dropped off and collected from sidings both sides of the main line. The work was under the control of the Station Master, and he authorised the operation of a crossover that gave the goods train access to cross the main line.
An express passenger train had left London at 21:00 the previous evening, and it left Carlisle station at 07:50. It consisted of 18 vehicles pulled by two locomotives. Running at about 40 mph (64 km/h) under clear signals, the passenger train ran into wagons of the goods train that were fouling the down line.
The collision took place at 08:13.
The goods train had left Carlisle at 06:55 and made calls at Floriston, Gretna and Kirkpatrick stations, arriving at Kirtlebridge at 07:55. At Gretna the driver had been informed that the following passenger station had not left Carlisle at 07:27. On arrival at Kirtlebridge, the train crossed to the up line and detached a brake van and three wagons, and left them on the running line. The engine and part train returned to the down line and entered the down sidings, dropping two wagons there. It then returned to the up line and recoupled the detached wagons, and entered the up siding.
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