No. 30. [From The Engineer, 1894, Vol. LXXVIII. p. 382.] 



THE NORTHALLERTON ACCIDENT, 1894 



I HAVE read the leading article on "Locomotives and 

 Trains," in The Engineer of 26th October, with great interest. 

 I was a passenger by the train that met with the accident, and 

 being unhurt, I was able to make some observations on the 

 state of the train, which very much surprised me, and have 

 continued to furnish abundant matter for reflection. Like 

 the other correspondents to whom you allude in your article, 

 I possess no special acquaintance with the conduct of railway 

 traffic. But I think the observations which I was able to 

 make, and which in their general lines were published in a 

 letter to The Times of the 5th October, are worth stating with 

 a little more precision in a paper such as yours, where they will 

 come under the notice of professional railway engineers, who 

 may possibly be able to make some use of them. 



I was in the third car from the rear. The accident was due 

 to the express running into some trucks that were being shunted. 

 I heard the danger signal blown by the goods driver, and 

 noticed that the brakes were put down instantly. After 

 probably not more than five or six seconds' violent jolting the 

 train stopped. On looking out of the window nothing seemed 

 to be amiss with the train, and I expected every moment that 

 it would start again. I only learned the truth when the guard 

 came along with his head covered with blood, and reported 

 that the whole of the front part of the train was demolished. 

 I then got out to see what had happened, and to render any 

 assistance that I could. Fortunately and miraculously all the 

 passengers were like myself unhurt, and the wounded drivers 

 and stokers were being attended to by several medical gentle- 

 men. Bonfires were soon made out of the debris of the wagons, 

 and it was possible to see the damage which had been done. 



The condition of the train was roughly as follows: The 

 two engines were wrecked, the pilot one being thrown over on 

 to the down line, and partially down the embankment. The 



