The 1968 Hixon Level Crossing Collision (Train Disaster Documentary)
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
- In this video, we discuss the 1968 Hixon level crossing collision.
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More personal memories here. My late father and I were working in our garden, about four miles south of Hixon, that morning. A dull, damp morning. Suddenly we heard a 'BOOM', sounding as if someone had struck an empty 1000 gallon oil tank with a club. My father looked round and said '"What the hell was THAT, John? "
Shortly afterwards the two of us drove to Rugeley, where we learned of the disaster. A lady was asking if anyone knew anything, as her husband was on the train.
Returning home, we found the main Stoke to London road blocked by police at Wolseley Bridge, sending us the long way round, via Oak Hedge and Weetman's Bridge. As we drove up Meadow Lane into Little Haywood the wreck train was just arriving from Crewe, behind a Stanier 8F - which was in fact my very last sight of true working main line steam. She'd drawn up at Meadow Lane waiting for line clearance to proceed to Colwich Junction and then reverse back up the 'Knotty' to Hixon.
Later we were able to see the crash site - truly horrible, with several stretchered bodies beneath sheets waiting to be taken away. The RAF had sent a big six-wheeled Thorneycroft mobile crane to help - it had driven into the field by the line and, due to it being totally waterlogged, mired up to its axles, even though it had six wheel drive.
In one small respect they were fortunate. Hixon station plaforms ended at the crossing, with the typical North Staffs line station house sited roughly where the transformer landed. Had it not been demolished at some time prior to the disaster, it would have been brought down on the carriages.
They were also fortunate in another respect - the trian wasn't the mid day ex Stoke, but the preceding one. Had it been the mid day involved then the dining car, which was smashed to pieces, would have been crowded with passengers; as it was, I think the attendant was the only victim.
We knew the signalman on duty at Colwich that day; he used to work turnabout shifts with my father.
Thank you for sharing this story.
Looking in the history of Wynn's online and in books about Wynn's, they never mention this incident and in one book they say they have never had a serious accident. This video puts their BS straight.
Well, I doubt they'd like to own up to this one! One problem was the alignment of the warning sign, so the driver (if he knew it were there) had to look back to see it. Given the horrific Leominster near miss, Wynn's were grossly negligent in not making sure their crews were fully aware of the new procedures.
Equally there was a major misunderstanding of their roles between the Wynn crew and the police escort - the Wynn's men believed the escort was to protect them, the police believed they were there to protect other road users, and the big drag was its driver's responsibility. The police crew had not been given any instructions about the crossing procedure at all.
You rightly give the Wynn's drivers credit for courage - instead of jumping and running, they tried to accelerate the drag clear of the crossing - that was exceptionally brave of the rear driver in particular. He later said he saw the poor train driver, literally frozen to his controls as he hurtled towards them..... when I saw the engine after the wreck, it was literally bent like a banana from end to end.
The arrogance you mention in the wake of Leominster was utterly characteristic of the Ministry of Transport, and the railway management's attitude to public safety over these new crossings - there were other fatals too, but Hixon forced them to listen.
The crossing, incidentally, was replaced by a realigned road and overbridge - far too late (as usual)
@JohnDavies-cn3ro the whole political system was corrupt. Senior bureaucrats and politicians including those who broke the British transport commission should have been jailed. All very foreseeable
Describes an AL1 whilst showing pictures of a Woodhead electric.
Showing pictures of an EM2.
@@peterharris3563 And a Ferranti transformer instead of an English Electric one.
@@rjmun580 "English Electrical Company" is what he said.
@@peterharris3563 ... and weighing 491 Tonnes?
@@KenG1ITVOne very heavy loco. Excellent tractive effort though!
It’s the cushions. Not the curtains. The term for when the crew rode in the coaches 👍🏼
I keep reading about this so called railway slang, I worked on British rail in the 1970s Stratford East London as a secondman, I think a lot of this so called slang that railway people are apparently using is fantasy.
@@johnbarthram2761 Ride on the cushions is still used today by drivers on duty but not driving, going back to depot or out to take over driving a train
@@johnbarthram2761'On the cushions' was still definitely in use in the late nineties on the West Coast route to mean travelling off duty in the train.
@@cedarcam A term common in public transport. Bus surveyors travelling as passengers between duties whilst "on the clock" are so described.
@@PhilReynoldsLondonGeek I have not heard ''on the clock'' before, interesting other transport use the same term for travelling though. I wonder for bus workers on the clock came from them having a time clock at the end of some routes the conductor had to use. London Transport had them and pretty sure Reg Varney used one in an episode of On the Busses or one of the films made. I remember an old unused one still being at a stop in my area.
Surely some of that black and white footage around 1:30 is not an AL1?
Looks more like a Woodhead line loco, but then I'm not n expert on juice motrs.
@@JohnDavies-cn3royou're right!
@@Roy-gi5ul Thanks - seems I DID learn something from that Triang catalogue!
@@JohnDavies-cn3ro LOL Yes you sure did it is indeed an old Tri-ang model which did work on the Woodhead line.
It is a Woodhead loco completely different voltage at 1500dc, which is seen at Piccadilly, whereas the Euston from Piccadilly involved in the accident is 25kv..There were two seperate voltages for many years at Piccadilly..the LNER side and the LMR side.
You showed an EM1 DC electric not an AL1 AC electric
He does have some AL1 footage plus some EM2 footage.
It is deliberate to get comments😂 the producers know there will always be people wanting to show off their superior knowledge
@@billpugh58 well I failed because it was an EM2
Nerd
Good job you corrected that or the story wouldn’t have made sense otherwise.Regards, Captain sarcastic git.
Please, please, don't do that horrible zoom in--zoom out transition between pictures. It's migraine-inducing.
We heard the bang from the collision in Great Haywood, 2 miles away.
A treedle? Oh, no!
I was on my way to Technical College at Stafford from Uttoxeter the day it happened.
While I was working at Lea Hall Colliery, Rugeley, I had a discussion with JW who was fire officer at the colliery and also a retained fireman. He was called out to this incident and was involved in the recovery of the bodies, many of which were trapped under mangled wreckage. To a young man, which JW was at the time, this was an event which was far more horrific than anyone, not involved could ever imagine.
I love it when I find fascinating new channels like this so early and get to see them grow which I'm sure your channel will
Abnormal load road movements were always checked by the Chief Civil Engineers dept but only for weight capacity of bridges on the route, I remember this load very well as I was the clerk that checked it, the usual guy being on leave. After this incident all wire heights were checked on level crossings to ensure anti-fouling.
Talks about the HMRI (HM Railway Inspectorate) - shows the logo for HRMI (Human Rights Measurement Initiative).
Talks about AL1 locomotives, shows video of EM2 class locomotives
This is why we dont use AI to make videos...
So let me see, if I understand this correctly. They were crossing the tracks, where it was known, that they would only have 24 seconds to clear the line, from the barriers went down, until the train ran across. With a 148 feet transport moving at 2 mph, that would take at least 60 seconds to clear the crossing. And no1 checked the train schedule b4 starting the crossing??
Everyone involved, except the train crew, were severely castigated afterwards for their failures. Many changes were implemented, including TV advertising and changes to the delay timing of the barriers. The police and Wynns were particularly to blame for failing to find out about these new crossings.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing!
I'm pretty sure, as well, that they were obliged to phone the Railway Authorities before starting to cross! Madness!!
@@2760ade I thought that would be obvious...even if you didn't know the timing of the crossing sequence or how long it would take to get across.
@@dfuher968 poor train crew - very traumatic for them
@@RobertSweet-nw4tm 2:41 Treadle is pronounced “tredle” not “ treedle”
Several pronunciation and word errors but good analysis. A mixture of feet and metres used in this film shows lack of rigor.
I reckon this guy gets ChatGPT to write the script and then doesn't bother turning it into coherent English.
@@Meddled you would think that a person who makes videos like this would take the trouble to be more knowledgeable about their subject.
I know this is going to sound like hindsight but when they were planning this move did they not plan to stop the transport short of the crossing and then contact the signal box to be either given permission to cross or told to wait for the train to pass?
"when they were (...) train to pass?"
Apparently not.
The latest of your otherwise interesting and informative videos. However, there is no way this locomotive weighs 491 Tons!!!???
Yep - Wiki has some stats including a weight of 79 long tons.
I think he meant the whole train weight not the loco
I was stationed at 16MU RAF Stafford at the time. That particular weekend I was on the Duty Team and we were called out to assist the Police & Fire. I'll never forget the sight of the carnage that greeted us on arrival. On the Sunday we were were deployed as the cordon party to keep away the sight-seer's who were crossing the surrounding fields to get a better look. IIRC there had been an outbreak of Foot and Mouth in the area and the police and farmers were worried that people avoiding the disinfectant-treated straw mats on the roads, would risk spreading the disease.
Part of the problem with the crossing was that the road leading up to the crossing on both sides sloped. The low loader had very little ground clearance and became "grounded" - stuck, when it was part way over the rails. If, as has been mentioned, the people in charge of the load had telephoned the signal control, the disaster might have been chnaged into just a long delay for the train?
"The low loader (...) over the rails."
Where did you find that information?
Fortunate that this was a Southbound service; hence the leading carriages were the lesser-occupied 1st class coaches. Would have been a very different story, had it been northbound with fuller-occupancy and more densely-seated 2nd class coaches.
I was on that train. The low-loader driver was disgracefully blamed for what was in reality a British Railways screw-up. If you read a little more slowly we could follow what you were saying.
Very good, so nobody thought about telling the railway about this move so they could have had the crossing on local control?
I remember this sccident being all over the tv and papers. I was 12 at the time, and our level crossing was earmarked for these new barriers. A local csmpaign enforced the keeping of a manned signalbox, and full skirted barriers, due to the large number of local children that gathered at the crossing. The Blue Pullman was our top train to see at the time, working Paddington to Birmingham Snow Hill. I also remember the tv ad campaign for these new rail crossings. Not sure if that was started before, or because of, the Hixon accident. A similar campaign was run about new Pelican road crosdings.
A few miles up the line from Colwich Junction. The previous video. I know both areas well.
The AL1 didn't weight in at 491 tons but a mere 79.6 tons. The 3ntire train would have weighed about 491 tons.
My father was Traffic Officer in the MET Police and did many Heavy Wide Load Escort they require much Planning..and care and skill by all concerned.
He escorted bits of aircraft Silos pre cast buildings Fuel tanks and many other odd shaped items all this on a motorcycle with just radio and macintosh no waterproof clothing like now or heated gloves and all winter on ice and snow and no abs or decent electric.
No wonder he used to say me when I was out on motorcycle 100% Concentration treatable road surfaces as poor and be ready for follow up for someone to pull out in front of you or cut across your line of travel.. use the eyes in the back if your head..
God Bless him his has kept me safe and I'm now 70 and still ride a 300cc scooter and use the eyes in the back.. (Look behind and use your mirrors)
By 1968 British Railways was known as British Rail
I think you are wrong there. I don't know when British Railways lost their "way", but it was later then 1968. That year was the end of steam on BR, but I don't think it was also the start of British Rail. Anybody out there having the definitive answer?
@@roberttisdale4441 What I meant was BR was rebranded by 1968, I believe it became British Rail in 1965
The person responsible for this video either does not check what is being sent out or more likely does not have much knowledge of railways. However he or she has obviously worked really hard to describe the accident so good for him/her 😊
Police escort screwed that one up.
Yes, I agree. The police should have called the signal center for permission to cross. Common sense.
491 tons for an electric loco?
No. 79 loco plus 12 coaches.
Straight out of Thunderbirds this one.
The wigwags look like the ones at Wexford
How does an electric locomotive have a fireman?!
They were firemen but in 1968 the role was changed to Secondman
It was simply the name applied to that grade. Similarly a Passed Cleaner was able to drive locos within the confines of a loco shed. Job titles not to be taken literally!
Unions insisted on the town man rule
Magic!! 🪄✨🪄
After the end of steam the fireman became the second man or driver’s assistant. (I started my footplate career as a Driver’s assistant)
Doeas anyone know where the overturned steam crane at 7:52 please. Certainly not at Hixon
Never knew about the Hixon rail disaster before this video (I remember the Colwich crash), the level crossing remained at Hixon until a few years ago when it was replaced by the bridge on New road, as an aside the old airfield where the transformer was going is now an industrial estate (unsuprisingly called airfield industrial estate) and one of the companies on the estate is mammoet heavy haulage, and another area is for various companies (such as copart) where written-off vehicles are auctioned.
There is a book called obstruction danger which has a superb account of this
Whittlesey level rossing (seen at 2:25) is still manually operated. As is the one on the ECML at Woodcroft and the one at Uvfington pn the lineto Stamford.
Treadles pronounced Tredle and Barbara not Bar bar a
Wow, the train hit the transformer so hard, it sent it flying.
first comment also loving the videos keep it up
The zoom transitions between video segments are painful to watch. Loads of stock shots totally irrelevant to the story, but included to increase the footage. The pronunciation of names of people and equipment and the unvaried pace of the narrative suggests that this is yet another AI video.
I would have thought the Police would have known the procedure at level crossing and have checked with the signal box that is was clear and had enough time to allow the convoy to cross, surely common sense.
That it what occurred to me - that accident should not have happened if the police had been doing their job properly.
Police and Wynns well short of required competence.
"I would have (...) surely common sense."
At that time, automatic crossings were relatively new, with the first AHB (in the UK) opening six years only six years earlier (at Spath; coincidentally also in Staffordshire). Road users probably thought it was safe to cross the railway if the gates or barriers were open when they started crossing. This was apparently the first time some (if not all) of the road users involved in this accident even encountered an automatic crossing. The driver of the loader stated that he thought it was safe to cross as long as he followed the police escort in front, and was surprised to see and hear the lights, barriers and alarms.
Leominster - pronounced Lem-stur.
I find it sad, that in a lot of accidents, the victims, ie: loco drivers, were in the wrong place at the wrong time. could see the emergenct no time to stop in time, and all they were doing was their job..Colwich was another perfect example, the Liverpool Euston driver, lost his because the Manchester service fouled the junction..Those in charge of the large load, were mainly to blame in this accident, for failing to get permission to cross when you have to travel at 2-3mph over a crossing with a load 150ft length, however, if the telephone was not working or no instruction to phone the signalman provided, for permission to cross, they thought it was ok, until the Euston service triggered the treadle to lower the barriers..trapping the load on the running lines.and disaster inevitable..The only positive thing about this accident, was a big lesson was learnt, when AHB was relatively new..and changes made to ensure there was no repeat of this accident.
Sorry, you gave the locomotive length as 17.2 metres. You then state that the train weight of 491 tons. Let's be clear, the locomotive does not weigh this amount. The weight might be that of the locomotive and carriages in total. This, of course, can vary depending upon how many carriages are used.
Had to replay the video over at 1.32 to hear the weight of the locomotive. 491 tons,I DON`T THINK SO !!!
I, and others, are assuming that's the weight of the engine and coaches. . .
If you do a documentary like this please get someone knowledgeable on Railways to check it for you. You first mention AL1 and show EM2. You say treedle when you mean treddle and say Stratford when you mean Stafford. You mention the Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI) when you should have said Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate (HMRI). The Police claimed ignorance of Railway practice but a fool would have noticed a telephone on a pole 50 yards away when the low loader actually grounded which the two drivers should have checked their clearances first.
inthe 1960s i was a pupil at Hixon secondary modern school
Mee a Ford?? It's pronounced Mefford.
I don't really get this! I'm currently doing my Cat C licence, and I understand that with an abnormal load of this size, you have to contact the Railways Authority before even considering entering a level crossing. This was so preventable, and stupid! Also, narration way too fast paced! As I said previously, stop and take a breath between sentences - please!!
This seems to be a common problem with text to speech AI programmes, I have heard the same thing in other people's videos.
@@peterharris3563 I hate these AI narrations. They're very difficult to listen to. Why can't the narrator just read the text themself? Or if they have a problem, find someone else to read it for them. The end result would be a much better product.
Not AI, however I'm still learning :) We are still a very small channel and I'm still learning what works best when talking.
@@TrainHorrors The best starting point is having a thorough knowledge of the subject matter. It seems to me that a lot of these railway disaster videos are done by people who do not have sufficient interest in railways to ensure that they do not include inappropriate images or bad pronunciation of terms or names that should be common knowledge. I have watched quite a few (not yours) that have numerous howlers in them, because they are created by people more interested in sensation than railways, unfortunately.
"with an abnormal (...) a level crossing."
Not the authority but the signaller.
At that time, automatic crossings were relatively new, with the first AHB (in the UK) opening six years only six years earlier (at Spath; coincidentally also in Staffordshire). Road users probably thought it was safe to cross the railway if the gates or barriers were open when they started crossing. This was apparently the first time some (if not all) of the road users involved in this accident even encountered an automatic crossing. The driver of the loader stated that he thought it was safe to cross as long as he followed the police escort in front, and was surprised to see and hear the lights, barriers and alarms.
What does a fireman do on an electric train?
I assume they mean second man
Not much, except be a second pair of eyes and ears in the cab and assist if needed. But I'm assuming that in the UK, as in the US, there were union contracts that specified that the men who had been steam locomotive firemen still had to have some kind of position, at least until their contracts expired.
Some sloppy execution and inconsistencies in this programme.. just like the Hixon disaster itself.
Whilst for the main part the detail in the commentary was fairly accurate, the pronunciation was appalling. Too many words to mention here, but worse, whilst commenting on the English Electric AL 1’s 25KV A.C. locomotives we were presented with Class 27 1500DC locomotives from a totally different region altogether! I cannot stand AI generated speech.😡
Bar-baa-araa I guess it meant Barbara… 😂
The loco is heavier than the abnormal load?
Weighed 491 tons did you say!
How didnt they see the train coming ?
The train was travelling at 85-90 mph. The railway is not straight, so by the time they did see it, it was far too late !
Over all weight not loco weight
Hi!
A request to the story telling person on this channel:
I love your channel.. I am a train fanatic… your videos are exciting!
Please be so kind and don’t tell the story so fast … slow down a bit… in order to accommodate the listeners who are less advanced in the English language!
I am in Austria and I am speaking it quite well but my head is buzzing trying to catch what U saying!
Thanh U in advance if that is possible!
Bless U!
He is hardly speaking English himself
@@michaelpannell5729 Oh, Okay! I didn’t mean to be disrespectful at Öl!
Thank U for your reply!!
I think this is voiced by an AI. This accounts for all the mispronounciations and erratic breaks in the narrative. My favourite one is "HM Railway Inspecrocate" for the Railway Inspectorate (this is repeated twice later). Also the still of the "Human Rights Measurement Initiative" ie HRMI when actually it's the HMRI (I should know, I work there!).
Completely disjointed footage. What is a tree dull?
you showed lotus shoes factory not gec,,,,
As per usual, lack of professionalism from all quarters.
Too late after the event.
Lack of advance communications between all parties, left hand not being aware of what right hand is doing, often leading up to these preventable occurrences.
Simply sloppy practice without any meaningful aforethought or prepared plan of action.
Seen it time after time down the years.
The low loader should have been given priority considering its bulk and slow speed, or at least a 20 minute time slot to clear the crossing.
So the Police was a fault !!!
Lately inacc
Second!!!
Largely inaccurate jibber and the auto voice chosen is shite......
God delivered and I signed for it. No choice in choosing my voice 😂😂