"The train was the diesel-hauled 20.05 Margate to Kentish Town excursion train and it comprised ten coaches, well filled with passengers returning from a day's outing at Margate. Although Robertson could not confirm Stokes' statements, he considered it likely that Wilsdon had drunk after 14:02 owing to the smell on Wilsdon's breath at Rainham several hours later and, whilst not explicitly accusing Wilsdon's brothers of lying, considered that anybody who tried to hide evidence of Wilsdon's drinking that day "did him a disservice". At no point did Wilsdon even attempt to slow his train beyond having already shut off the engine to coast which was normal at this long downhill sector of the line. It also meant that his Supervisors at Hither Green would not see him in person. Latest Documents The locomotive . For this case study, the available worldwide railway accident data are analysed in order to build taxonomy. He subsequently gave Wilsdon a stern reprimand and advised him that such behaviour was not acceptable. Well Hall station will be partially covered by the new Rochester Way relief road. This caused both coaches to overturn onto their right side, with the leading end of the second coach coming to a stand in front of the locomotive and the rear of the first coach, which in combination with the fourth coach, formed an "N" shape with the first four coaches. Just over half, 542 other passengers were injured, exacerbated as many of the seated passengers had stood up ready to depart. Eccles Rail Crash . After the crossing was cleared, he set the route for the train to proceed but instead, the train came to a stop at the platform. June 11, 1972. There was an imbalance with the urine alcohol level which made it very likely that the driver had also been drinking alcohol at the controls. From 1st October 1916, the station was known as Well Hall and North Eltham. Photograph by Press Association, 1972. There was an imbalance with the urine alcohol level which made it very likely that the driver had also been drinking alcohol at the controls. Places time Forgot London Bus East London London Areas Old Well Hall Bus Station 1970's J Michele Janes Eltham History All three of these coaches were leaning over on their left sides to various degrees, with the leading end of the fifth coach having been badly damaged by the impact with the fourth coach. The last train to call at Eltham Park and Well Hall stations was the 23:43 Charing Cross to Dartford. This took the platforms beyond the bridge which carried the running lines over Well Hall Road, and a new entrance was opened between the latter and the stations down platform, by means of a staircase upon the embankment. Although uncertain, it seems that Wilsdon believed that the two stoppages that occurred to his train at Sittingbourne and Rainham and having not seen the first excursion train at Newington, was because the first train was running slowly and kept stopping his train. Copyright Info. Lettering on paper caption-sheet stuck on verso of print catalogued. Both Wilsdon and his colleague were reinstated on 18 December 1961, with Wilsdon being promoted to driver less than a week later on 25 December with his transfer to Hither Green. However, changes were made to the signalling at Eltham so that through trains would receive a yellow signal on approach. Stokes was unable to recall much of what occurred at Margate and Wilsdon died, so it was uncertain as to what had occurred during this period, and although a pub was close to the station, it was considered that they did not have enough time to reach it. Genealogy When Arundell went to examine the cab, he found it empty but after returning shortly afterwards, saw a pair of beer bottles in the cab. The driver of the Excursion train was Robert Wilsdon, a Driver for British Rail's Southern Region based at Hither Green TMD since December 1961. He used the correct telephone and spoke quite clearly and was not at all slurred according to both Fleming and Obee. Most Wanted Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. A public inquiry carried out into the cause of the accident was launched on 12 June 1972 by Colonel John R.H. Robertson that looked into the cause of the derailment. Guard Atterbury was 57 and had been a guard since 1948 and was based at London Bridge and although he had worked the Bexleyheath line before, he had never done so on a fast train. A diesel locomotive pulling ten coaches entered the curve which has a 20 mph speed restriction at 65 mph. There are currently no news items related to this accident. Eltham Eltham station Well Hall Road Eltham Greater London SE9 6SL GET DIRECTIONS Ticket office opening hours: Monday - Friday - 06:40 to 20:00 Saturday - 06:10 to 20:00 Sunday - 08:10 to 15:40 NO Waiting room YES Ticket machine YES Toilet YES Impaired Access Staff Station facilities Ticketing Services & Information Oyster Pre-Pay YES Yes The journey was normal until the train stopped for signals at Rainham, whereafter the driver made an unscheduled stop in the station to telephone the signalman and ask about another excursion train that they were due to pass some distance ahead. Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen, Railway accident : Report on the Derailment that occurred on 11 June 1972 at Eltham (Well Hall) Station in the Southern Region, British Railways, Accident at Eltham Well Hall on 11th June 1972. The final uncertainty was the fact that when his body was autopsied, Wilsdon's blood alcohol content was 0.278% (the legal limit for driving a road vehicle in England at that time was 0.08%). "Well Hall", as the station was first known, was the subject of two closure attempts during its lifetime - the second of which succeeded - and came into use with the 8-mile Bexleyheath Line on 1st May 1895. The journey was normal until the train stopped for signals at Rainham, whereafter the driver made an unscheduled stop in the station to telephone the signalman and ask about another excursion train that they were due to pass some distance ahead. Notable survivors of the 1931 rebuilding at all three stations mentioned were the SER timber waiting shelters. The train passed through at high speed without braking and sped into the curve at around 65 miles per hour (105km/h). The scheme required the demolition of Well Hall station, for it partially resided on the site required for the trunk road, but also gave rise to the closure of Eltham Park station and the provision of a brand new set of platforms in-between the two. Both men were subsequently suspended shortly afterwards, against which Wilsdon immediately appealed, claiming that the event was an isolated incident. Attached to the building was an arched-roof platform canopy with clover-patterned valance, a style which is still evident today at Paddock Wood. Stokes was 18 years old and had been working on the railways for almost two years at the time of the accident, having been based at Hither Green this entire time. [1] [2] In the past Well Hall was the grounds of a manor house, and then a hamlet. Having left Margate eight minutes late and scheduled to run non-stop (aside from a later stop to change crew), Wilsdon was able to run the train at high speed and according to Atterbury's timings, was only a minute late after passing Faversham (24miles from Margate). At this time, Well Hall gained concrete lampposts with the SRs trademark hexagonal lampshades. The curve had a maximum permitted speed to be taken at 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) but the train was estimated to have been travelling at 65 . SYND 12-6-72 AFTERMATH OF ELTHAM TRAIN CRASH AP Archive 4.73M subscribers Subscribe 6 Share Save 2.5K views 7 years ago (11 Jun 1972) The aftermath scenes of a derailment of a excursion. David Glasspool Collection, The main building on the "up" side was a carbon copy of the structure which still exists today at Bexleyheath. [1] Although Wilsdon paid the fine, British Rail were not notified of this occurrence until a colleague of Wilsdon's was similarly charged five days later. The only other theory was that Wilsdon had obtained a bottle of spirits at some point, stored it on his person and had drunk it at some point after leaving Margate, and later disposed of the glass by throwing it out the window of the locomotive, with the theory being that Wilsdon either obtained the bottle at some point whilst in Margate or had kept one on his person since he left Rainham for work. His speech was clear and his gait was normal. British Rail staff who came in contact with Wilsdon on 11 June (his supervisor at Hither Green, depot staff at Ramsgate, Secondman Stokes, Railway Club staff at Ramsgate, Guard Atterbury, Stationmaster Arundell and his staff at Margate, Railman Fleming and Signalman Obee at Rainham) were all intensively questioned and gave evidence at the inquiry regarding the state of Wilsdon, to which all agreed that Wilsdon appeared perfectly fit and sober even as late as his unscheduled stop in Rainham, with the only person aware of Wilsdon already having drunk alcohol prior to reaching Ramsgate being Secondman Stokes, who considered him still fit and sober enough to drive the train. The driver Robert Wilsdon and five passengers were killed, and 126 people were injured. Jan 15, 2015 - A major rail crash happened at Well Hall on Sunday evening 11 June 1972. The Report for the crash was released on 1 June 1973 and it quite clearly showed that the accident was caused entirely by the actions of Robert Wilsdon, in that he had "grossly impaired his ability to drive safely by drinking a considerable quantity of alcohol both before and after booking on duty". Stokes and Guard H. Atterbury. Here, Wilsdon drank two pints of light and bitter and a half pint of light ale which was confirmed by his brothers who'd drunk similarly. Emergency services were notified, and arrived between 21:40 and 21:42. Well Hall, Eltham, train crash, 1972: an injured train driver being carried to an ambulance. Rail; . Those who knew the driver said that he was quite a frequent drinker of alcohol and could "carry" much beer. Further modernisation was the order of the day in 1931, when stations at Bexleyheath, Welling, and Eltham (Well Hall) were rebuilt. The overgrown area behind the fence on the right was formerly the goods yard. Apr 2, 2017 - Eltham Well Hall Rail Crash. He was thoroughly critical of Wilsdon's behaviour, describing it as "reprehensible" and "disgraceful". Despite this, Robertson felt that there was no severe issue with drinking amongst drivers on Britain's railways, with only two other accidents (one in 1913 and another in 1952) having occurred explicitly due to driver drunkenness in the sixty years prior to the accident, and as such he believed that it was a combination of railway staff's thoughts and self-discipline for drivers' behaviour with alcohol. Approaching Eltham Park he became so concerned at the speed that he made two quick applications of the vacuum brake to try to draw the driver's attention, but before he could get a reaction it was too late. The eighth coach was upright but derailed, the ninth coach was derailed at its leading bogie but also upright, and the tenth coach (in which Atterbury had been riding) was upright and on the rails, though some internal damage had occurred. The first occurred on 7 November 1961, when Wilsdon had been charged 150 for being Drunk and disorderly, causing damage to a shop window and assaulting a Police constable whilst off-duty. The rear of the coach had been somewhat damaged by the fifth, sixth and seventh coaches passing by it, derailed but still on the track. In the Electric Railway Society Journal in 1981, the following was reported: Eltham Well Hall station is to be replaced by a massive bus/rail interchange at Glenlea Road. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. Stationmaster Arundell signalled the train clear to depart for London, but both he and Atterbury found that there was no response in the cab. The 1969 incident also showed Wilsdon's disregard of what had occurred in 1961 but it was agreed that the manager at the time had been unwise in waiting two months to question Wilsdon, but had acted appropriately when he did. However, when approaching Eltham Park railway station he became concerned at the train's apparent speed and more so as it neared Eltham Well Hall, where a sharp curve changed the train's direction from southwest to northwest. Robertson . This evidence contradicts that of Wilsdon's brothers who claimed that he had not drunk between 14:02 and 17:15. The locomotive jumped the sharp curve, derailing and rolling onto its left side and sliding through a coal yard. The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. The second uncertain moment was what occurred to both him and Stokes during the stop at Margate, in which both seemingly left the station via the Platform No.1 entrance. He later claimed to a representative from the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen that he would not drink again. He claimed that he was going to head directly to Ramsgate from Rainham and said that he had to catch an earlier train from Rainham (the 15:32 instead of the 15:42, which was not running on Sundays) and therefore asked Hither Green if he could be considered on-duty from 15:12. Stokes recalled that when Wilsdon turned to speak with him, he "smelt something pretty strong" on the driver's breath and when asked, Wilsdon explained that he had been drinking at lunchtime and later had some sherry prior to arriving in Ramsgate. As well as Wilsdon, two passengers died at the scene; a woman later died of her injuries in August and a male likewise in November, bringing the number of fatalities to five. East London Train Station Vintage Photos City Photo Autos A major rail crash happened at Well Hall on Sunday evening 11 June 1972. 2004 - 2023 railwaysarchive.co.uk - all rights reserved. All witnesses who saw the driver including the guard, the station staff at both Rainham and Margate, and the depot staff at Ramsgate, observed no signs of intoxication. On the Dartford Loop Line via Sidcup existed Eltham & Mottingham station; this was subsequently renamed plain Mottingham on 1st October of the same year. None of the staff were criticised for failing to stop Wilsdon from his duties under the belief he was too drunk and evidence by Wilsdon's father-in-law, brothers and friends confirmed that although Wilsdon did drink heavily, he could "carry" his alcohol well and that the amount of alcohol he drank was not enough to make his drunkenness visible, although the report believed that Wilsdon's actions at Rainham and his reactions at Eltham Well Hall clearly showed that he was beginning to suffer effects of drunkenness. Semi-detached London: Suburban Development, Life and Transport, 1900-39. Shortly thereafter, Wilsdon and Stokes returned and entered the cab preparing for departure, with neither seeming unusual: when Arundell told them to hurry up, Wilsdon calmly noted they could regain lost time on the journey. RSS Feeds The 1969 incident also showed Wilsdon's disregard of what had occurred in 1961 but it was agreed that the manager at the time had been unwise in waiting two months to question Wilsdon, but had acted appropriately when he did. Despite this, Robertson felt that there was no severe issue with drinking amongst drivers on Britain's railways, with only two other accidents (one in 1913 and another in 1952) having occurred explicitly due to driver drunkenness in the sixty years prior to the accident, and as such he believed that it was a combination of railway staff's thoughts and self-discipline for drivers' behaviour with alcohol. According to Obee, Wilsdon had stopped at Rainham to inquire of the position of the first excursion train, which Obee explained was to stop at Gillingham railway station and would let Wilsdon overtake it, which was not as planned (Wilsdon's train was to overtake the first excursion train at Newington railway station which was prior to Rainham); to which Wilsdon told him "you should read your weekly notices". The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. The latter had a twelve-chain radius, curving sharply to the right after Well Hall station for the 1 in 75 descent towards Kidbrooke, and had a permanent speed restriction of 20 MPH. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Eltham Well Hall rail crash". The recommendation that booking-on by telephone be carefully controlled was reiterated in the Inspectorate report of the Cannon Street Station rail crash in 1991. I am a dreamer who dreams of a world full of Accident at Eltham Well Hall on 11th June 1972 Accident Summary and 2 more images Location Eltham Well Hall Train Operator British Railways (Southern Region) Primary Cause Excessive speed Secondary Cause Driver intoxicated Result Derailment 6 fatalities, 126 injured Accident Investigation Status The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. The rear end of the first coach came to rest up against the leading cab. Date: 1972 Reference: 778393i Pictures About this work Publication/Creation [London] : Press Association, 1972. Wilsdon was not due to be on duty until the afternoon and had gone to a pub at lunchtime with his brothers who said he spent the afternoon at home. Having left Margate eight minutes late and scheduled to run non-stop (aside from a later stop to change crew), Wilsdon was able to run the train at high speed and according to Atterbury's timings, was only a minute late after passing Faversham (24 miles (39km) from Margate). A public inquiry carried out into the cause of the accident was launched on 12 June 1972 by Colonel John R.H. Robertson that looked into the cause of the derailment. All three of these coaches were leaning over on their left sides to various degrees, with the leading end of the fifth coach having been badly damaged by the impact with the fourth coach. He had been working on the railways since 1958 and was experienced to drive the British Rail Class 47 locomotive, which would occasionally come down from trains in other regions. It was written by Col. J. R. H. Robertson. He was thoroughly critical of Wilsdon's behaviour, describing it as "reprehensible" and "disgraceful". Whilst it was agreed that it was a fairly common occurrence in the Southern Region and British Rail had adopted a policy where certain drivers could be granted need to book on via telephone (typically those either living far from depots or those whose duties commenced far from their depots). Transport Libraries The wreckage of a rail crash the day before at Eltham Well Hall railway station in Eltham, London, UK, 12th June 1972. Investigating this theory, the morning after the accident, the cab was searched and three smashed glasses were found in the cab's wreckage. Eltham Well Hall rail crash a train derailedderailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall stationEltham (Well Hall) derailmentLondon-bound train came off the track The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35.wikipedia 47Related Articles [filter]