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| Milton rail crash | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | Sunday, 20 November 1955 |
| Location | Milton |
| Country | England |
| Line | Great Western Main Line |
| Incident type | Derailment caused by excessive speed |
| Cause | Driver's error |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Deaths | 11 |
| Injured | 157 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
TheMilton rail crash was a crash in 1955, atMilton, Berkshire (now part ofOxfordshire). A passenger train took a crossover too fast and derailed. Eleven people were killed, and 157 injured.
The crash occurred at about 13:15 on Sunday, 20 November 1955, at Milton, betweenSteventon andDidcot on the line fromSwindon on theWestern Region of British Railways. The train involved was the 08:30Paddington station-boundexcursion train fromTreherbert,South Wales, consisting of ten coaches hauled byBritannia Pacific no. 70026Polar Star. The train failed to slow down for a low-speedcrossover.[1]
The engine and several carriages rolled down an embankment, which exacerbated the severity of the accident.
Because the track involved had been formerly operated by theGreat Western Railway, the signals were on the right hand side, but the train was hauled by one of the newBritish Railways Standard Class 7 locomotives, which had its driving position on the left hand side. This incompatibility hampered the driver's view of the signals.
There was a berthtrack circuit[2] approaching the crossover, but it was much longer than the train, which made it hard for the signalman to estimate the speed of the train.
The signals were later modified to prevent a driver seeing a proceed signal for the crossover too soon. This is known asApproach Release.
Handrails on the smoke deflectors also obscured the drivers' view, and these were later removed and replaced with hand holds on all the "Britannia" class locomotives that ran on the Western Region.
Jokela rail crash – similar overspeed accident in Finland
Colwich rail crash – overspeed through turnout, signal aspects a factor51°37′13″N1°17′28″W / 51.62041°N 1.29119°W /51.62041; -1.29119
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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 | |