The South Croydon rail crash on the British railway system occurred on 24 October 1947.[2]
The crash took place south of South Croydon railway station. Two electric commuter trains collided in fog and 32 people were killed, including the driver of the second train. It was the worst accident on Britain's Southern Railway.
The crash was a rear-end collision caused by a signalman's error. The inexperienced signalman at Purley Oaks forgot about a train from Haywards Heath to London Bridge standing invisible in the fog. The line was protected by the Sykes "Lock and Block" apparatus, which prevented him from allowing another train into the section until the preceding one had left it. However, he believed that the elderly apparatus was faulty and used a release key. This allowed a train from Tattenham Corner to London Bridge into the same section, and they collided near South Croydon Junction. The trains were crowded in the rush hour, carrying 800 and 1000 people respectively, hence the heavy death toll.[3][4]
Similar crashes, all caused by misuse of the Sykes release key or similar override mechanism, occurred at Battersea Park in 1937, Barnes in 1955 and Crayford railway station in 1959.
^London Today
^Lt Col Mount's report
^Nock, chapter 13 Blunders with "Lock & Block", pp. 149–151
^Rolt & Kichenside, Chapter 12 How Much Automation?, p. 278
and 28 Related for: South Croydon rail crash information
The SouthCroydonrailcrash on the British railway system occurred on 24 October 1947. The crash took place south of SouthCroydon railway station. Two...
Wealdstone rail crash, which killed 112 people and injured 340. The death toll from the 1957 Lewisham railcrash was 90; for the 1889 Armagh rail disaster (the...
The Selby railcrash (also known as the Great Heck RailCrash) was a high-speed railcrash that occurred at Great Heck near Selby, North Yorkshire, England...
on any rail network in the UK since the 2001 Great Heck railcrash. The injured were taken to St George's Hospital in Tooting, and to Croydon University...
The Ladbroke Grove railcrash (also known as the Paddington railcrash) was a rail accident which occurred on 5 October 1999 at Ladbroke Grove in London...
passengers subsequently died of their injuries. 24 October 1947, SouthCroydonrailcrash: Two passenger trains, both travelling to London Bridge, collided...
West Croydon is a combined railway, bus station and tram stop in Croydon, south London. It is served by National Rail, London Overground, Tramlink and...
The Hatfield railcrash was a railway accident on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire. It was caused by a metal fatigue-induced derailment, killing...
SouthCroydon railway station is in the London Borough of Croydon in south London, in Travelcard Zone 5. It is on the Brighton Line at its junction with...
Croydon Airport (former ICAO code: EGCR) was the UK's only international airport during the interwar period. It opened in 1920, located near Croydon, then...
Trams, previously Tramlink and Croydon Tramlink, is a light rail tram system serving Croydon and surrounding areas in South London, England. It is the first...
The Ufton Nervet railcrash occurred on 6 November 2004 when a passenger train collided with a stationary car on a level crossing on the Reading–Taunton...
Purley station railcrash was a train collision that occurred just to the north of Purley railway station in the London Borough of Croydon on Saturday 4...
The Southall railcrash occurred on 19 September 1997, on the Great Western Main Line at Southall, West London. An InterCity 125 high speed passenger train...
on Croydon Airport (then RAF Croydon) led to several bombs landing on homes and factories in the Waddon area, killing 74 people. SouthCroydonrail crash...
fatalities of the Potters Bar crash. On 13 May 2011, Network Rail was fined £3 million for safety failings related to the crash. Except for Agnes Quinlivan...
The Clapham Junction railcrash occurred on the morning of 12 December 1988, when a crowded British Rail passenger train crashed into the rear of another...
The Harrow and Wealdstone railcrash was a three-train collision at Harrow and Wealdstone station in Wealdstone, Middlesex (now Greater London) during...
evening of 4 December 1957, two trains crashed in dense fog on the South Eastern Main Line near Lewisham in south-east London, causing the deaths of 90...
Danger Signals. Ian Allan. ITN news footage and interviews Hither Green railcrash BBC News online 'On this day' 51°26′43″N 0°00′20″E / 51.44528°N 0.00556°E...
20 September 2018. Clifton, Katy (8 May 2019). "Victoria station crash: Southern Rail train 'hits buffers causing loud bang and smoke' in front of shocked...
The Connington Southrailcrash occurred on 5 March 1967 on the East Coast Main Line near the village of Conington, Huntingdonshire, England. Five passengers...
The Polmont rail accident, also known as the Polmont rail disaster, occurred on 30 July 1984 to the west of Polmont, near Falkirk, in Scotland. A westbound...
"The 1968 train crash that changed UK railways" (video). BBC News. BBC. 7 January 2018. Retrieved 7 January 2018. "Latest Namings". Rail Express. No. October...
Junction railway station is a National Rail station in South Norwood in the London Borough of Croydon, south London, and is in Travelcard Zone 4. It...
"Three Rail Workers' Bail Extended". BBC News Online. 26 March 2008. "No Charges over Fatal RailCrash". BBC News Online. 9 February 2009. "Crash Leads...
to the south of these two stations, with routes serving most of south London, including Clapham Junction, Peckham, Tattenham Corner, East Croydon, Caterham...
The Doncaster railcrash was a railway accident that took place near to Doncaster, England. On 16 March 1951 the 10:04 Doncaster to London King's Cross...
Global Information