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| Eastbourne rail crash | |
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| Details | |
| Date | 25 August 1958 07:29 |
| Location | Eastbourne |
| Coordinates | 50°46′13″N0°16′59″E / 50.7703°N 0.2831°E /50.7703; 0.2831 |
| Country | England |
| Line | East Coastway (BR Southern Region) |
| Incident type | Collision |
| Cause | Driver's error |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Passengers | 186 |
| Deaths | 5 |
| Injured | 22 serious + 19 minor |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
TheEastbourne rail crash was an accident on the British railway system which occurred on 25 August 1958 atEastbourne railway station inEast Sussex. The accident killed five people and injured 41 others. Eastbourne station is a terminus station with services toHastings,Brighton,London Victoria. At the time of the accident, there was a further service toTonbridge via theCuckoo Line. It was then common for services from Hastings to Brighton to enter Eastbourne and reverse to carry on its journey. Trains between Hastings and Brighton have resumed to do this, while services between London Victoria and Ore still do this today, with some calling atHampden Park twice and an hourly service to Ashford International starting from Eastbourne.
On Monday, 25 August 1958, at 7:27 a.m., the 7:45 p.m. sleeper-car steam train originating fromGlasgow "ran past the home signal at Eastbourne at danger."[1] A second train, the 6:47 a.m. multiple-unit, 12-coach, electric passenger train fromOre toLondon Bridge station, was at the number 4 platform at the Eastbourne station awaiting departure.[1] The first train was carrying 36 passengers and the second 150 passengers.[2] After passing the home signal, the steam train struck the EMU travelling at a speed of about 25 m.p.h.[1]
The 06:47Ore toLondon Bridge service was about to depart Platform 4. Although scheduled to depart Eastbourne at 07:25, it was running four minutes late. The train had only started to leave when the 19:45 Glasgow to Eastbournecar sleeper service collided head on at about 25 miles per hour (40 km/h). The sleeper train had been running twelve minutes late on leavingMitre Bridge Junction, London, where the locomotives are changed and had arrived atPolegate six minutes late. It left Polegate on time and on approaching Eastbourne was signal checked. Driver Alfred Wembridge failed to see the home signal was set at 'danger' and drove straight through the points, into the path of the oncoming London Bridge service.
Composition of trains:
The official accident report stated that the front carriage of the London Bridge traintelescoped onto the second coach, forcing both vehicles into the air and onto their sides. The leading coach struck a heavysignal gantry, causing it to collapse, landing away from the coaches. The underframe of the third coach was slightly bent. The steam locomotive derailed and the front end andsmokebox were damaged but the leading coach wasbuffer locked with thetender, although some vans towards the rear of the sleeper train did suffer some damage by derailing and bent buffers.
The only fatalities occurred in the London Bridge train. Themotorman and three passengers were killed at the scene; the fourth passenger died later in hospital. A total of 40 people sustained injuries in the incident.
The enquiry noted that there was heavy rain in the area leading up to the accident although at the time of the incident this was reduced to a light drizzle as reported by many members of staff.
Driver Wembridge was acquitted of manslaughter at Sussex Assizes in December 1958.
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‡ indicates railway accidents and incidents resulting in at least 20 fatalities § indicates the deadliest railway accident in British history 1815–1899   2000–present | |