Wigan Album

For anyone with poor eyesight.
13 people died when the Scottish express de-railed whilst passing through the station. The cause was a mystery.

How very sad. I don't recall ever hearing about this accident.

There’s no such thing as an accident, or a mystery. There is, however, such a thing as a “cover-up”. They were often put into place to prevent liability being tagged onto business owners as that would cost them money. Those “cover-ups” were often applied in coal mining.
This incident is recorded in railway history books, but isn’t it strange that some locals know nothing about it although are awash with rumours like Marks and Spencer was founded in Wigan? etc.

Should have sent for Inspector Robert Colbeck & Sergeant Leeming to investigate. Author Edward Marston has a series of books called The Railway Detective Series based in the 1860's. These are his main characters in the novels and they always solve the mystery or murder on the Victorian railways. I have just finished reading "Death at the Terminus" based on York railway Station 1865.

According to Wikipedia

“ Many of the passengers were aristocrats travelling north for the opening of the grouse season “…

Fancy them coming through Wigan north western station though .

….. eh Noaksey ?

I recall reading that this accident resulted in alteration to standard practices in how railways operated. ie removal of some 'facing' crossover points, and better protection for trains at those remaining.

Also, have seen the phrase, "Wigan, famous for bad rail accidents"!

The worst railway accident in Wigan's history occurred in the early hours of Sunday 3 August 1873. The Scotch Express consisting of two engines, twenty two carriages and three vans had left Euston Station in London at five minutes past eight the previous evening bound for Perth. Many of the passengers were upper class aristocrats travelling to Scotland for the opening of the grouse season. It was fifteen minutes late as it neared Wigan and was travelling at 40 miles per hour.
The two engines and fifteen of the carriages passed through the station safely. However two wheels of the sixteenth carriage derailed at a set of facing points which led to the loop line siding on the other side of the main platform. Next came a luggage van which derailed completely, demolishing a lineside shunters cabin in the process. The couplings held on these two vehicles and they travelled the length of the platform before being put back on the rails by a crossing at the north end of the platform. The remaining seven carriages and the rear guards van derailed and became detached from the rest of the train and travelled along the siding for fifty or sixty yards.
They then smashed in to the platform, the leading carriage was thrown up into the air, overturned and landed on the platform wheels uppermost. Four bodies were later extricated from underneath the wreckage. Two other carriages left the rails and were smashed on the side walls of the platform. Two more carriages overturned in the sidings and were wrecked. Only one of the carriages and the guards van were undamaged.
Travelling in one of the first class carriages was Scottish born Mr. Andrew Wark, a stockbroker of Old Hall, Highgate, London. He was accompanied by his wife, four children, a governess and two nurses. Three of the children were killed along with one of the nurses. Mrs. Wark suffered a broken leg and her surviving child a broken thigh. Mr. Wark, the governess and the other nurse escaped with bruises.
To the west of the siding a brick wall was knocked down, the debris falling in to Queen Street twenty or thirty feet below the level of the railway. The roof of one of the carriages was hurled over the wall and through the slated roof of Walkers Foundry, carrying with it a Mrs. Roberts. Her mutilated body was found in the foundry, a number of men working close by escaped injury.
The front portion of the train came to a halt at Rylands Sidings after the driver looked behind and saw sparks and flying debris. He then communicated with the signalman on duty at the box to await further instructions. Ninety minutes after the disaster the Scotch Express was given clearance to continue on its journey to Scotland.
In total thirteen people died and thirty were injured. The inquest was held by the Borough Coroner Ralph Darlington Esq who lived at Springfield Hall. A board of Trade investigated headed by Captain W. A. Tyler concluded that the primary cause of the accident was excessive speed. No faults were found with the offending points which were undamaged. However as a recommendation an extra locking tie bar, known as a switch lock, was added to every set of points on the rail network so as to increase strength and stability. A design modification which remains today in current points on the national rail network.

Thanks for all the information Keith. I wonder what Queen Victoria would have had to say about the tragedy. From what I have read about her travels up to Scotland on the Royal train she didn’t like to go any faster than 20 miles an hour!!!

That train must have been doing all of 40mph .

It’s well documented that the train was travelling at 40 mph Mick . In fact it says as much in Keith’s post …
So what’s your point ?

“the primary cause of the accident was excessive speed. No faults were found with the offending points which were undamaged”

Excessive speed? 40mph? And that train had travelled about 200 miles at that speed, through hundreds of sets of points, no problem. Until it reaches “the offending points”. Offending points, eh.?
And the first 15 carriages pass without fault. The 16th carriage, travelling at the same “excessive” speed is derailed. By those “offending points” maybe?

https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=7804

Makes you wonder if the same scenario with the exact situation happened today what would the result have been. The sixteenth carriage may have been at fault with the wheels loosening and a fault in the mechanism. Just guessing I have no idea.

"Ninety minutes after the disaster the Scotch Express was given clearance to continue on its journey to Scotland."

Somehow I don't think that would happen today!

Veronica

Railway track has improved considerably since the time of the accident from short jointed rails to long continuously welded rails. The ballast on which the rails are placed is also much more robust.
The steel specification and manufacture of the locomotive wheels is radically improved since the time of the accident. When I first saw wheels being machined as an apprentice at the Vulcan loco works it looked like a work of art rather than an engineering component.

I can imagine people being apprehensive of using trains when they first came into being in the 1800’s . I don’t know how fast stagecoaches were on the rough roads with four horses pulling them they must have been pretty fast. The saying
“ don’t spare the horses” springs to mind and I bet there were accidents even then.

Deviating somewhat here , but still remaining on the topic of railways …
Are you aware Veronica that the world’s first passenger carrying railway passed within a mile of your house ?

You most likely are actually .

However , I am now going to sit back and await the deluge of posts determined to prove me wrong.

I live between 2 stations Ozy so I wouldn’t be surprised.
My late Father in Law worked on the railway and is mentioned in a book of employees during the 40’s and 50’s.

Well I never thought Veronica lived in South Wales.

I don’t Slippery although I do have Ancestry from there. I do have the choice of 2 railway stations for using - both in walking distance if I chose to. No need for nit picking

In the 1980’s you came close to having 3 stations with a proposal to open one at Dobb Brow.

That would have been useful for the folk on Wigan Rd Keith. There’s a lot of houses built lately over Dobb Brow fields. I used to go for walks over there with the children and grandchildren. Lately I took the family dog for a walk and I was bewildered with all the new buildings built over the last few years.

Thanks for posting all that information Keith, I found it a fascinating read.
When travelling to London and standing on the platform at Northern West Station I always tuck myself into one of the ‘V’ shaped alcoves, just in case one of those express trains jumps its rails and thunders down the platform.

There is a gravestone in Atherton cemetery.Rev. Adam Horne,Baptist Minister,Atherton.Killed at Wigan railway station,4th December 1872.

Thank you, Keith.
I have often wondered if my great grandfather, John Staveley, left Haigh Foundry to work for John Scarisbrick Walker at the Queen Street Foundry, before the company moved to the Pagefield works; your information on the accident confirms that he was working there in 1873, or earlier, as he retired in 1912 with over 40 years’ service.
There is not as much information on John Scarisbrick Walker as I expected, however other records say John Walker, engineer and iron merchant 15 Wallgate warehouse, Queens Street, residence 17 Dicconson Street.