The Mystery of the 1906 Salisbury Train Crash 

I can't help finding the connection between the Titanic and the SS New York popping up twice slightly eerie. Well done, many thanks.

As a small child, when I first heard of a "boat train" I imagined the rails ran into the sea and it just floated away to its destination.

If the train crews were placing bets on who would reach the station first would it not be easier to bet against your train and simply go slower?

It's one way of answering the question of: "see how fast you can get there".

Remember reading about this accident in LTC Rolt's Red For Danger. What a great book, wish I still had it! Thanks for another great documentary.

Interesting story, nicely done as always.

You sir have a knack for making obscure topics (from my perspective) fascinating. I have no idea what your career has entailed but you’ve got a gift as a teller of history.

Another great video Rualridh! Now usually I wouldn't go to the trouble of making a video recommendation in the sea of other people chiming in what they'd particularly like to see, but it seems that in the greater rail community there is a distinct lack of video coverage regarding British steam running in North America, whilst the story of Flying Scotsman's ill-fated trips to the united states are relatively well documented, it actually isn't the first case of a British locomotive being brought across the Atlantic, in my own personal jumps down this obscure rabbit hole I've actually discovered many interesting and unique stories of British steam running in parts of America and Canada and beyond. If I've somehow managed to hook you, check out the story of 'Schools' class No. 30926 "Repton", GWR 6000 "King George V" and LSWR T3 4-4-0 No. 563 which may be a little more obscure to find but it visited Canada sometime around 2012-13. I really do believe this might be right up your ally. regardless keep up the amazing content!

Testimony of the signalman at Salisbury was that both driver and fireman were alert, facing forward and stood looking attentively through the cab spectacles. Inexplicable.

Given the time of the crash might be a bit like the Croydon tram accident, i.e. fell asleep briefly and not realized the speed

I just wanted to say Thank you for videos on these matters, especially Railway History, but more specifically (historic) Railway Accidents.

4km to the west at Wilton the boat train would have rounded a significant curve to a new alignment alongside GWR’s line from Bristol. Did the train need to slow for that? It seems strange that the driver wouldn’t have noticed he was approaching Salisbury.

There is the Grantham rail accident which is so mysterious, that it is called "the Mary Celeste of Railways".

Just as an aside, what a brilliant move making your channel name your name was. It's memorable. I was stuck with nothing i care about to watch that i haven't already seen and your name popped into my head and now i watch this video (nice one btw)

Thank you for another very interesting video. 1906 was the year that my father was born in New Zealand. It was also the name of a very good restaurant just north of Wellington. A bit of useless information for everyone. Have a good day from Sydney Australia.

This was mentioned briefly in The Video 125 DEV Exeter to Bassingstoke. but as i mentioned until i watched this the said DEV only briefly mentioned the 1906 Salisbury crash. So once again Ruairidh thank you for uploading this more detailed clip regarding The Salisbury Crash. Having said that this crash was only minor to The Quentin's Hill crash of 1915 and The Harrow & Wealdstone Crash of October 1952.

I was working at Salisbury station and the photographs of the accident were on the walls (not the public ones). I always assumed it was owing to the competition with the GW for Ocean Liner traffic. The mysterious one at Grantham was more intriguing but I discovered that the brake pipe benind the Atlantic's tender was improperly connected. Officials were noted examining it immediately after the accident and it was taken away and subsequently kept quiet about.

There was another factor,overlooked! In the US,there had been a number of accidents caused by crews,exceeding 8-10 hours of service,and literally asleep,on their feet! Double,and triple shifts were common on British railways,and as,an example,the Clayton tunnel[LB&SC],disaster was caused by a signalman, who had to pull a triple shift,and that was under duress,as there was no one to replace him! It took Britain almost a hundred years,to finally put limits on hours of service,also Canada,as several wrecks,and the resultant costs,finally caught up with the elites! The US Congress,did do something useful,but Parliament didn't follow through,as the problems persisted,and remained unresolved! Add,also the lack of effective brakes,and signals that could be ambiguous,it also added up! Thank you,for the information!

The first of what are sometimes called the "Three Great Mysteries of 1906-07" with a trio of accidents, Salisbury 1 July 1906, Grantham 19 September 1906, and Shrewsbury 15 October 1907, all occurring under eerily similar circumstances; a train in perfect working order, an experience crew that were familiar with the line and sober, clear weather, seemingly no explanation for why anything should have gone wrong. And yet in all three cases the train in question ignored warning boards and signals, entering a sharp curve at excessive speed and derailing. All three accidents played a major role in the novel "Sherlock Holmes and the Railway Maniac" by Barrie Roberts. Regarding claims of the LSWR management demanding crews do what it took to remain competitive, there is some dispute on this account, with other accounts claiming that safety was stressed above all else to the point of drivers actually being penalized or reprimanded for arriving excessively ahead of schedule.

Awesome vid. Thanks for taking the time to make and post. 👍👍🇦🇺

Another fantastic video! Keep them coming

Fascinating video! Motion History is simply amazing

Great work!! Love your detailed research cheers NZCH

The usual motive power for the boat train was a T9, but on this occasion an L12 hauled the train. The L12 had a higher centre of gravity, whilst a T9 might have stayed on the rails. Somebody worked out that the train must have been travelling at at least 68 m.p.h.. On that day, the direct GW route from Reading to Taunton opened. After the derailment, the LSWR insisted on all trains stopping at Salisbury, and, in future, engines were changed there, rather than at Templecombe. The only exception to trains not stopping at Salisbury occurred between 1947 and 1954, when the "Devon Belle" was running. That train was required to observe a 10 m.p.h. restriction through the station. The officiak report states that Robbins just did not know the risk he was running. He knew where he was, as he gave at least one blast on the whistle.

2:57 That's a beautiful photo, what a great looking 4 4 0 engine and tender!

A very interesting video. Thank you.

Spooky that this happened, then just a year later (1907) due to the same cause (excessive speed on a curve) a sleeper train derailed into Shrewsbury station

I wonder if that poor fireman knew he was on borrowed time and wanted the other people to be treated because of it, I'm sure train crews of the era know what bad scalds and burns where like and the outcomes.

Please cover Grantham too. Many similarities here.

Excellent Ruairidh, excellent.

3:50 Nice image of Dover castle in the background.

MacVeigh - You're talking out of your bottom again ! The GWR had the Mail contract and the LSWR the passenger business for Ocean Liner traffic between Plymouth & London. These trains were "specials", as they were timed to run only when Ocean Liners called at Plymouth. The exact time of their operation also depended on the tides, and the fact that these ships could not "Dock" at Plymouth, only drop anchor in the Sound. Passengers and Mail alighting at Plymouth had to transfer to "Tenders" to actually reach the quayside, and customs, which could also delay the operation of the trains. Both the LSWR Ocean Liner Passenger service to Waterloo & the GWR Ocean Mail trains used Plymouth Millbay station. Ocean Quay was not used for this traffic as it was totally unsuitable, due to its geographical location in relation to where the Ocean Liners had to anchor, and its limited facilities. Quote "The LSWR line East of Exeter was much faster and more direct" Unquote. Quote "The straight & level profile of the LSWR route" Unquote. MacVeigh - you've been reading Thomas the Tank engine again !! Having been a Train Driver over both routes between Exeter & Waterloo/Paddington I can say the LSWR route was somewhat shorter than the GWR route via Bristol (The Ocean Mails had to go via Bristol as the train divided there with a portion for Birmingham and the rest for Paddington). But the GWR route between Taunton, Bristol & London was built by Brunel as a virtual race track. While the slightly shorter LSWR route suffered from being Up Hill & Down Dale, (a problem for steam locos) all the way from Plymouth to almost Basingstoke. As for the whacky nonsense about bets being taken by anyone, staff or passengers forget it. The "racing" of these trains was a result of the company rivalry between the GWR & LSWR, in a similar way to the famous "Race to the North" from London to Aberdeen a few years earlier. And I will point out again, there were NOT two passenger trains, meeting ships. But one Ocean Mail (GWR) train which had NO passenger carriages. And one Ocean Liner Express (LSWR) which had no Royal Mail vehicles, and both trains used Millbay Harbour Station to begin their journey from. Who won the race, when these trains operated was done by timing. i.e the time each left Millbay & the time each reached their respective London termini, of Paddington (GWR) & Waterloo (LSWR), was compared to find out who had completed the journey in the shortest time. The LSWR didn't give up running Ocean Liner Expresses in 1910, because they were a loss maker. But because they could no longer compete for this traffic effectively, due to the GWR having opened its shorter & quicker route via Westbury, and contract renewals. CRASH DETAILS Salisbury station has the sharp bend at the London end, followed by a tunnel a third of a mile further on, with Salisbury Tunnel Junction just beyond that. The "Hill" doesn't begin for over a mile beyond the station. The infamous bend was at that time limited to 30mph. It was quite typical for the Ocean Liner express to break the 30mph speed limit, and it was known that the train had negotiated the bend at 55mph on more than one occasion without derailing. However contrary to this daft programme, the train speed on the night of the crash was estimated at no more than 60mph. (As verified by the extent and type of damage inflicted, & the layout of the line approaching Salisbury). There being a 40mph restriction at the previous station Wilton South, and then a slight climb, before the line dropped gently for the last mile to Salisbury station. But the most likely reason for the crash was the problem that the Driver was familiar with the Drummond T9 Class (his regular loco was a T9) & normally used on this train. But on the night of the crash he was Driving what many might think is a similar type, the "Drummond L12". But these 20 x L12 locos had a boiler pitched significantly higher than the T9 class. Meaning their Centre of Gravity was also much higher. So the Driver had obviously not taken this into consideration, and indeed may not have even been aware of the implications, which as a result were to kill him & his fireman. TO BE A TRAIN DRIVER (until the demise of BR) It should be noted that to be a steam loco driver in that era, was going to take at least 15 years. You had to begin as a shed cleaner, then a firelighter, then a locomotive Fireman, before you could apply for a Drivers job. Indeed even in BR days during the 1980's, you still had to complete a minimum 5 years as a secondman or 2000 turns of Duty, whichever was the greater. Before you could apply for a Drivers position. So Train Drivers were responsible people, and rarely less than 30 years old !!! 😝

I believe it was common for drivers to receive tips from passengers after a good run. So there was an incentive to go at high speed. One passenger who liked to get 'a good run' was King Edward VII.

Could you do a video on the narrow gauge Kch4/C2 etc. steam locomotives?

The City of Truro travelled at over 100mph on Wellington Bank on its way from Plymouth to London. Was that part of the rivalry?

Compare the behaviour of locals helping the injured with those at the major Lewisham (London) crash in 1957 where they robbed the dead and injured of wallets, purses and jewellery. Depressingly predictable when it comes to London.

From what I understand, whilst this rivalry was a given, the rivalry between the lswr and London Brighton and South Coast Railway was particularly bad.

LSWR was a name rebranding by the London & Southampton which received Royal Assent to build the railway on 25 July 1834 over a year before the Great Western

A good video though the official Board of Trade report disproves a lot of the theories about the crash. The train was not travelling especially fast before Salisbury. It left Templecombe on time and was running two minutes late at Salisbury. I much prefer the theory that the driver momentarily forgot about the curve restriction. Although he was an experienced driver this was the first time he had driven the boat train. It was probably his first time passing through Salisbury station without stopping. On a stopping train the thirty mile per hour restriction was not something the driver needed to be aware of as the train would not be going that fast anyway so close to the station. Anyway, those are my thoughts.

I was reading the list of names on the tablet. There were 5 names "Sentell". Were they all one family?

Dude fell asleep, or at least into a 'daydream' at the controls.

What an awful tragedy. I don't think any experienced train driver through that station would accept any amount of money to risk damaging his train. I assume it was an incapacitation of some kind, but I guess we'll never know, since no autopsy or anything was conducted.

Probably the first time that Salisbury has ever witnessed a tragic rail accident.

Not really much of a mystery at all I don't think; they customarily went through Salisbury as fast as they possibly could in their 'races' with the Great Western for Plymouth boat traffic, and on this night they just pushed it a bit too far. Possibly the fact of having a larger boilered engine than a T9, which probably could negotiate the curve, was a contributory factor, with its higher centre of gravity

One account I'd read about this pointed out the difference in social class between the fireman and the engineer and speculated they'd had a blazing row on the footplate, followed by a fatal bout of 'I'm not talking to you'.

Grim but fascinating.

It seems that the SS New York was more than less a bad luck charm, wherever it went, accidents and close calls followed

Hmm was that train lost exiting Herne Bay perhaps?

Driver error, well if it's anything like the buses then not enough time for the crew. Usual claptrap of 'Drive safe but here's the timetable' 😏

Still a mystery.

Hey should one Russell Hill accident TTC Subway

No speedometer in those days. All left to drivers discretion.

Loss of the drivers situational awareness due to fatigue.

Where there not three similar crashes in a two year period? One at Shrewsbury and can't recall the other as like a similar commenter, my copy of 'Red for Danger' has sadly long gone...

4:05 Freight cars at the end of an express passenger train... were they used to carry dead people's corpses?

Oh the U.K. I thought it happened in Salisbury, Rhodesia 😆

Bad atmosphere about the station

Even then, profit over safety

One hour and sixty six minutes? I know I'm an eejit but......

Ok

Maybe it’s some sort of curse or a geographic reason

Great video! It's actually fortunate only 24 were killed. Hard to imagine the year 1906, not the 19th century, but very early in the 20th. When I think of the Edwardian era all I see are straw hats and striped swimsuits. LOL

For the train to be doing over 70 mph going through the station, when it should be doing 30 mph maximum shows something was very amiss, especially as had 2 crew. If the driver had fallen asleep, surely his fireman colleague would not also be asleep at same time ? Or did they take little naps in turn and whoever was driving dropped off too ? They were experienced, but both equally tired and disorientated at the same time ? Well, they could both have had food poisoning. They could both have been drugged. Perhaps the GWR wanted to harm the reputation of the LSWR and so organised an accident by doing something to the engine or the crew before they took over at Temple Comb but hadn't bargained for such an extreme outcome.

Just slow the pace of the narration down a bit. It's too full on.

Ayyy

I believe that the Grantham disaster of 1906 remains as much of a mystery as the Salisbury crash.

This story is just a bunch of coincidences from two different historical Incidences

Hilarious. Anything but carelessness. A century an more of overspeed trains, and we still feign gormless ignorance. Preventing trains from overspeeding has been mechanically possible for as long. Truth: commercial enterprises will not spend money on safety measures. When will choo-choo train enthusiasts ever learn?

Zzz DDC

1st

2nd

I'd love to see the davits capable of holding a ship with a Gross Registered Tonnage of 10,508 tons (ie a displacement of 17,550 metric tonnes). You meant she was ripped from her moorings along side the Oceanic. Davits are small cranes that typically hold a lifeboat. Also the SS City of New York was operated by the International Navigation Company. Perhaps you should check you scripts before publishing. It'll stop you looking foolish.