Shepperton train station 21st April 1982
Train Operator
British Railways (Southern Region)
Primary Causes
Inadequate maintenance, poor rail head conditions
Result
Runaway train, buffer stop collision, derailment, collision with structure
0 fatalities, 1 injured
*The story made the national news, including a large picture in the Times newspaper. It transpired that braking trials had been conducted on the line the night before, which involved greasing the rails, and it was said that these had not been cleaned sufficiently. This meant that the unfortunate driver of the first train of the morning, when he applied his brakes, helplessly slid though the station and hit the buffers, pushing the train upwards and over the wall.
* Village matters magazine.