Railway accidents in Queensland

This is a list of significant Railway Accidents in Queensland, Australia.

On 1 January 1913 six people were killed and six injured. The people killed were working at the scene of a in a train crash in Toowoomba kills six people working at the scene of an earlier derailment.

There are varying reports of two rail accidents in (near) Toowoomba in 1913. These come from lists of major accidents compiled by some newspapers in the 21st Century. One claimed accident is for 1 January 1913 where it is claimed six persons were killed. The other is for the 30 January 1913 where it is claimed 14 persons were killed. The only reasonably cited reference is to an accident at Murphys Creek (near Toowoomba) on the 30 January 1913 (see entry below) where six people are reported as being killed. There is no verifiable citation for fourteen people being killed in an accident near Toowoomba in 1913.

On the 30 January 1913 six people were killed.

A goods train had left Toowoomba on the night of 29 January 1913, and had derailed near the Murphys Creek railway station on the Main line, about one mile from the station yard limits, on the range side near the 84-mile (139 km) mark. No members of the crew were injured, but a considerable amount of damage was caused to the goods vehicles and the track. A breakdown gang was sent from Toowoomba and breakdown trains were also despatched from Brisbane and Toowoomba to clear wreckage from the line. The spot where the derailment had taken place was in a relatively inaccessible area and workers had to prise the wreckage apart. Several trips were made by breakdown trains to the derailment site.

At 9.35am on 30 January, a special train left Holmes to collect passengers from the 6.30am Brisbane train and the Sydney mail train (departed Brisbane 7.50am). The relief special consisted of nine empty coaches, two covered wagons, and two C16 Class engines attached to the front and rear of the train. On the first part of the journey down the range, the train was under control. Mr Hallam said a guard rode on the leading engine to advise the crew of the location of the derailed stock train. The guard and fireman on the lead engine saw a glimpse of the wrecked train through the trees. However, no warning devices (detonators, or red flags) had been deployed to warn the approaching train of the breakdown train's position. The only indication was a warning which was shouted from about 70 metres from the breakdown van by a workman on the line. The driver of the relief special had made several air brake applications on the way down without recharging brake reservoirs. The driver then made an "injudicious" application of the Westinghouse brake and was unable to stop his train. The engine propelled by 226 tons (230 tonnes) of combined weight behind its tender collided with the rear of the breakdown train.

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