Singleton Bank rail crash
53°48′27″N 2°57′00″W / 53.8076°N 2.9500°W
Singleton Bank rail crash | |
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Details | |
Date | 16 July 1961 10:30 |
Location | Weeton, Lancashire |
Country | England |
Line | Fleetwood Branch Line |
Cause | Signaller error; site staff error |
Statistics | |
Trains | 2 |
Deaths | 7 |
Injured | 116 |
List of UK rail accidents by year |
The Singleton Bank rail crash occurred on 16 July 1961 near Weeton, Lancashire, England.
Events
[edit]The 8:50 diesel multiple unit train from Colne to Fleetwood collided with the rear of a ballast train at about 45 miles per hour (72 km/h). The latter had been working in the vicinity of Singleton Bank signal box and was about to leave to clear the section for the express.
Victims
[edit]Seven were killed (the driver and six passengers) and 116 were injured.[1]
Report
[edit]The signalman at Singleton misunderstood a telephone message which led him to make a serious error and accept the diesel train irregularly. The accident report also strongly criticised the local inspectors for allowing poor working practices.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Langley, Brig C A (22 December 1961), Report on the Collision at Singleton Bank (PDF), HMSO, retrieved 10 January 2009