Little Salkeld rail accident | |
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Details | |
Date | 19 January 1918 15:58 |
Location | Long Meg cutting near Little Salkeld |
Coordinates | 54°43′26″N 2°40′47″W / 54.724°N 2.6798°W |
Country | England |
Line | Settle-Carlisle Line |
Operator | Midland Railway |
Cause | Line obstructed (landslip) |
Statistics | |
Trains | 1 |
Deaths | 7 |
Injured | 46 |
List of UK rail accidents by year |
The Little Salkeld rail accident occurred on 19 January 1918 in Long Meg cutting, between Little Salkeld and Lazonby railway stations (about 15 miles south of Carlisle on the Settle-Carlisle Line). [1] [2]
As the 11 carriage 08:50 London St Pancras to Glasgow St Enoch express approached the cutting, a heavy landslip caused by a sudden thaw blocked both tracks ahead of the train. [3] Just five minutes earlier a platelayer had walked past the spot and seen nothing amiss. The engine, a Midland Railway 1000 Class No. 1010, ploughed into the mass of clay at a speed of 50–60 mph, telescoping the front two carriages. [1] [4] [5]
6 passengers were killed immediately and another fatally injured, whilst 37 passengers and 9 railway staff received non-fatal injuries. The more seriously injured were taken either to the Cumberland Infirmary or Fusehill Military Hospital, both in Carlisle. [5] [6] [7]