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Sutton Train Crash

rowan

rowan

Born a Brummie
Does anyone remember the terrible train crash at Sutton Coldfield railway station in the '50s?

My friends Dad was relief station master(from Four Oaks) on the day it happened and I can recall, even today, the terrible fear I felt when we heard the crash and flew to the station to see if he was alright. We couldn't enter of course because the train had run into the platform but her Dad was ok but several poor souls had lost their lives or were terrible maimed.
 
I remember it i live in Walmley At the time i was about 12 i remember seeing a photo of one of the carriages upside down on the roof of the station . DEk
 
I half remember something said in our family that my Grand Father retired as station master at Sutton Coldfield shortly before the crash. The station house on one of the platforms was demolished by the derailed engine. Sadly everyone in my family who could give me further information is dead so it remains in the realm of a myth.Anybody out there got a list of Sutton's Station Masters . I would love to know one way or the other.
 
There is quite a lot of information about the Sutton railway disaster in the book 'Cross Country Connections' by John Bassett.
 
The report states that Stationmaster Overton and his wife had lived at the station house for 20 years so I think it unlikely my Grandad ever held that position. Another bubble of family history burst.
Thanks for the link Raga. The Accident Report is a very well written example of its type . Good use of the English language with none of the "buzz words" and double speak that make modern reports not worth the paper they are written on.
Well done to the writer Lieutenant Colonel G R S Wilson.
 
I remember seeing the train before it crashed. I was helping my Dad who was wiring our new house in Four Oaks, We had a clear view of the railway track from the house,as in those days we weresurrounded by farmland (All built on now) As we didn't have any trains running close to us in our old house in Birmingham it was quite a novelty for a 12 year old to see these Trains running backwards and forwards between Lichfield and Birmingham, As usual when I heard a train coming I'd shout to my Dad "Here's another one and he's puffing a lot of smoke and steam" Dad said "He's going a bit" then we carried on with our work. Later in the afternoon as we listened to the radio we heard the terrible news about the train crash and Dad said"That's the train we saw earlier" Weeks later I started at my new school Riland Bedford in Sutton, and as the station wasn't far from the school my new class mates would excitedly take me up to to see all the damage at the station.
 
I was standing in a queue at the Gaumont Cinema Steelhouse Lane at a usual Sunday visit of a group from the Ice Rink, when newspaper men came running from the B'ham Mail Offices with a special edition about the crash.
 
Great pictures thanks for sharing them with us, I remember it very well. it was unbelievable scene there, to this day diversion from north east to south west still run.

There was also another passenger tain smash round about the same time at Kingsbury near Tamworth it was a Jubilee Class engine I think it was named Galatrea.

Thanks ray
 
Hi Lloyd.

Thanks for that one but that isn't the one, thats at Lichfield Trent Valley low level coming from Stafford towards Tamworth.

I have never heard of that one, the Kingsbury one was in the 1950's.

It happened on the goods line whilst on diversion from the line thatpast by Hams Hall Power station heading towards Water Orton.

Thahks Lloyd.

Happy New Year to Ray
 
I took a photo of this photo today of the Sutton train crash, it appeared in the Birmingham Mail. The policeman on the right was the man who shared it with me. Sorry the quality is not to good as it was in a sealed glass frame.



Sutton_Train_Crash_002.JPG
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZW-pNxKj2I

Thank you Wendy for reviving this Thread but take a look at this film
theres rolling footage on here of the Sutton Coldfield crash .
maybe the policemen are in the film . its a 1 hour & 19mins
Documenting on other railway crashes and i think the sutton crash
is about half hour in .
enjoy everybody :sneakiness: ragga :sneakiness:
 
Sorry I’m a bit late posting this, but I received this email today from the “Re-Open Our Railway! The South Staffordshire Line” group.


On this day "23rd January 1955" 17 people, including the train crew, were killed and 25 injured in the Sutton Coldfield Train Crash.

Although the excessive speed was the major factor in the accident, the exact cause was never fully established. The accident occurred in broad daylight during diversions due to engineering works on the Birmingham to Tamworth line (just the same as CrossCounty do theses days).

There was no evidence of mechanical failure on the train. The driver and fireman died in the locomotive, so the reason for the excessive speed was never established. Investigators identified several factors that could have contributed to the excessive speed:

- The train was making up some time and was running late.
- There was a gradient to climb after the station which was best approached at full speed.
- The steam locomotive (like most at the time) was not fitted with a speedometer.
- The engine was riding roughly, which may have contributed to the driver's misjudging the speed.
- It seems therefore that the driver knew he was exceeding the speed limit but did not realise the extent of the danger (similarly to the Salisbury rail crash of 1906).

If your passing Sutton Coldfield at around 16:13 on the Cross City line, spare a thought for all those who lost their lives 58 years ago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutton_Coldfield_rail_crash

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/sutton-coldfield-rail-disaster



 
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I was about to be born in the Nursing home some 400 yards from the Station, and my Parents were going there when it happened. My Dad, a RN Fleet Air Arm Air Sea Rescue Pilot then, offered to help, but he says there were lots of people there. He did see bodies on the platform though.
 
Morturn said:
Headed by a LMS Class 5 4-6-0 steam locomotive No 45274, the 12:15 York to Bristol express, consisting of ten carriages, approached the Sutton Coldfield railway station at about 55-60 mph (88-96 km/h) — twice the permitted speed of 30 mph.

The steam locomotive (like most at the time) was not fitted with a speedometer.
Click to expand...

If the speed limit was 30mph, and they had no speedometer, how did they know how fast they were going back in those days?
 
I worked with many ex-Steam era Drivers and Second Men in the 70's. They reckoned to judge speed by 'feel' and eye. using the Signal wire poles as calibration marks. Remember, these were men who had started at 14 as Cleaners and risen through the ranks to passed Driver, any good film will show what a hard career it was. Unfortunately, as happens today, a missed 'Notice' or a strange Driver can lead to excess speed on a portion of line. The Nuneaton Train Crash in 1977 was caused by a missed 'Warning Board' signal. Track relaying on the Sunday had over-run, consequently, the 'slack' to 30mph through the Station, which should have been removed at 4pm, wasn't ! Later that night, an Express hit the still uneven track at 50mph, the Distant warning board, a Parrafin lit job, had blown out. The P-Way Driver whose job it was to see to this had been out twice that night to relight it. The local supervisor suspected him (wrongly) of arranging this to happen, (In those days, a 'callout' was an automatic 3hrs at time & 7/12ths), in order to make money. So, the Sup'vr deliberately stopped him going out, but failed to tell the Main Signal Box. Hence, the first the Train Driver knew was when he hit the uneven, loose track. BANG !
The station platforms acted as a takeoff ramp and bits of train went everywhere. I arrived at work at 7.15am, and many of my Bosses were there already. Luckily, it was not on our 'patch'...........
After a while, the errant Sup'vr was sent to work with me and I was told to 'keep an eye on him' by the Chief Civil Engineer, as he was prone to making 'incorrect decisions' ... not bad for a 23 yr old with 4 years BR Service in ! Talk about Cover-ups.................
 
If locomotive nos 45274 (as above) is correct it must have been repaired after the Sutton Coldfield crash as it was still in service in 1961 and beyond.ref Ian Allan B.R Locomotives book 1961 edition
 
Remember it vividly I was waiting at six ways Erdington for my then girl friend we were going to the palace cinema an as I was waiting all police cars an ambulances were speeding with sirens screaming the word soon got to us that there had been a train crash at Sutton an now all these years later I live not too far from the scene of the crash


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I am a leader with a Sea Scout Group in Sutton Park. We have a bible which was given to us by the wife of someone involved in the disaster. One of our older leaders has recently given a talk on the event to a Probus meeting. I will endeavour to get more detailed information on the Sea Scout's involvement.
 
I am sitting in the HQ of 1st Sutton Coldfield Sea Scouts looking at a collage of the Rail Crash. There is an article with picture from the Evening Despatch dated January 24 1955, and a further article dated December 9 1955 in which Mrs Keith Thompson presents a bible to the group as a thank you for being rescued from the wreckage of a coach by members of the group. Evidentally, Mr Thompson had forwarded a cheque for £5, (a goodly sum in those days) which hadn't been cashed, and had been returned by the group.
(The old tradition of doing a good turn not being done for reward). So Mr Thompson offered a Ships Bible, or a Ships clock instead. The bible was accepted, and is still used every year by the group at its annual rededication service.
Interesting to note the lady who was rescued is referred to as Mrs Keith Thompson and not by her own first name. They lived in Doncaster.
 
My Aunty Winnie Stephens lived in the cottages right by the station.She told me how she went to help after hearing the noise.Grandad,Wilfred Nibblet,rode in the guards van on that line but not involved.Aunt Win took me to see the train which was on the platform .
 
Following the tragedy of the Sutton Coldfield crash (Sunday 23rd January 1955), which claimed 17 lives…

(1997) A century of railways around Birmingham and the West Midlands : a personal selection. Vol. 2.

852E2408-D236-4864-81AA-F9812A7EA848.jpeg
 
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