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   Grantham Rail Crash 1906
 On the night of 19 September 1906 the 8.45 from King's Cross to Edinburgh, Atlantic Class locomotive no 276, was approaching Grantham. The events that followed are well documented but briefly the steam locomotive entered Grantham station at high speed at 11.03pm and derailed at the north end of the station coming to a rest down the west embankment just past the bridge over Old Wharf Road. The driver, Fred Fleetwood, fireman Ralph Talbot and twelve others were killed. The cause of the crash has never been completely understood.

George Henry Pile was the Inspector in charge of Grantham station that night and was standing at the north end of the down platform waiting to meet the train, he was just 150 yards from where the locomotive finally left the rails and plunged down the embankment and witnessed the whole disaster as it happened. At the inquest he stated that the train passed him at forty to forty five miles an hour, he then heard an explosion. He then went to the scene of the crash and instructed the signalman to stop any other train from entering the station.

On 24 and 25 September 1906 a Public Enquiry was held in Grantham and Inspector George Pile was again required to testify. Despite his view of the accident his evidence on whether the train's brakes were on conflicted with others, he thought that the brakes were not applied although he had admitted that he may have been mistaken. Whether the locomotive was braking has never been established. George's testimony about the signalling system was less controversial though; it had been suggested by some that the stop signal at the north end of the station was not operating. George testified "I am positive that the North box home signal was at Danger" and the inquiry found no fault with the signals.

Read George Henry Pile's full testimony.

Download full Board of Trade Inquiry Report (1.7MB).

  
     
  Copyright © 2005 Andrew Pile