COLLISION ON THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY
WEST DRAYTON, FEB
6, 9 P.M. [1874]
This afternoon a disastrous collision occurred near the West Drayton
station of the Great Western Railway.
The up Exeter express train, which left that town at 10 25 a.m. and
Swindon at 1 18 p.m., reached West Drayton Junction about half-past 2
o'clock. The train, which was a broad-gauge one, consisted of an engine,
six carriages, and a van, and conveyed about 100 first and second class
passengers, and at the time of the catastrophe was travelling at the
rate of 60 miles an hour, a dense fog prevailing.
A few minutes before the express came up the up Bristol goods train
was preparing to start, at the West Drayton siding. It was still upon
the up main line, when the express came into collision with it with
fearful violence, crushing several of the cars of the goodstrain and
destroying the engine of the Exeter express. Huskins, the guard of the
latter train, was killed. Fortunately, although the shock, as may be
imagined, was most severe, none of the passengers were killed.
Mr. H. Kirtley, the superintendent of the locomotive department,
happened to be travelling in the express, and as soon as the train
stopped jumped out and ran to the engine, where the steam was rising
fast in the boiler, Sutton, the engine-driver, having just had time to
turn off the steam before the collision, which threw him and his fireman
from the locomotive. Mr. Kirtley slacked the lever off to let the steam
escape, and then ran forward to stop the down 1 30 p.m. train, which was
due at West Drayton at that moment. Mr Kirtley then ran to the engine of
the goods train. There was just time to jump on to the locomotive and
blow the whistle, when the down train rushed by and came in collision
with the wrecked vans of the Bristol goods train.
The engine of the down train was left hanging near a bank, down which
one or two of the carriages were precipitated, but remained in an
upright position. Ten of the carriages remained on the line, and out of
these the passengers were assisted. None were seriously hurt, and all
could walk.
Mr. Kirtley went on to Southall with the goods engine for medical
assistance and to stop the 2 30 p.m. down train, and then return with a
surgeon to the scene of the collision. Previously to this he telegraphed
from Southall to Mr. Grierson, the general manager, and Mr. Tyrrell, the
superintendent of the line, and they with Mr. Alfred Higgins left
Paddington at once and repaired to West Drayton with the brake-down
vans, hydraulic rams, and about 80 men. All traffic was stopped from
Paddington at the same time and from Slough, as both up and down lines
were blocked. Mr. Hart, the station master at Slough, also sent a number
of men to West Drayton to assist in clearing the line, a work of immense
difficulty, owing to the thickness of the fog, which concealed objects
even at a few yards.
Dalton, the driver of the Futton express, states that the signals
showed a clear line, and that he did not see the end of the goods train
until he was close upon it, when, of course, it was too late. At present
it is impossible to say where the fault lies. The body of Hoskins was
removed to a small house near the side of the line. At twenty minutes to
10 the line still remained blocked, and the passengers had on reaching
the spot to be transferred from one train to another. It was hoped that
the line might be cleared by midnight.
1 A.M.
Messrs. Grierson, Tyrrell, Kirtley, and other officials are still
hard at work with a large staff clearing the line, which is so blocked
that trains can only run to each side of the spot where the accident
occurred. A fire made from the broken carriages lights up the
surrounding fog. The passengers as the trains arrive get out and walk
through the rubbish, lighted by the fires to the train on the opposite
side. Great exertions are being made by the Great Western officials to
clear the line, but this cannot be effected till the morning at the
earliest. All the traffic is delayed.
The Times, Saturday, Feb 07, 1874; pg. 12; Issue 27920; col B