The second excursion train, scheduled to leave Margate at 20:05 was to be crewed by Driver Wilsdon, Secondman P.E. More like this London History Local History Family History Eltham Palace London Family The Tudor Boy George Lido Abandoned swimming pools A A.M.C.O. Both Wilsdon and his colleague were reinstated on 18 December 1961, with Wilsdon being promoted to driver less than a week later on 25 December with his transfer to Hither Green. The locomotive and first four coaches left the rails and came to rest at an angle to the track, the second and third coaches on their sides. Another steam-era system to go was the mechanical signalling, semaphores and the cabin going out of use on 14th March 1970, when four-aspect colour lights, controlled from a temporary panel at St Johns, came into use. A combination of the signal checks at Sittingbourne and Rainham and the unscheduled stop at Rainham had caused Wilsdon to lose most of the progress he had made between Margate and Sittingbourne. Both brothers confirmed that he had not drunk after leaving the pub and were adamant on this point at the later public inquiry. The cause of the crash was concluded to be intoxication of the driver. A public inquiry carried out into the cause of the accident was launched on 12 June 1972 by Colonel John R.H. Robertson that looked into the cause of the derailment. This was agreed as there was no evidence to the contrary and it was believed that Wilsdon was travelling to Ramsgate at this time. According to them, the three returned home and spent the afternoon indoors with the children until Robert was driven by one of his brothers to Rainham station at around 17:15. Stokes was 18 years old and had been working on the railways for almost two years at the time of the accident, having been based at Hither Green this entire time. The adequacy of the taxonomy is discussed with regards to the socio-technical context of accident reports. Stationmaster Arundell signalled the train clear to depart for London, but both he and Atterbury found that there was no response in the cab. Since 1969, Wilsdon had had a clean record with no reprimands. Further Reading The fourth coach had ended up roughly 90 degrees to the track, leaning over on its left side. The last station the train passed on its journey that Atterbury had to time was at Bexleyheath railway station 4.3miles east of the accident site. Well Hall station will be partially covered by the new Rochester Way relief road. In 1927, yet another renaming occurred, the Southern Railway designating the site as Eltham (Well Hall) from 26th September. Sometime between these two renaming occurrences, the goods yard acquired a five-ton crane. Eltham Well Hall rail crash - Wikidata It was written by Col. J. R. H. Robertson. The curve at Eltham has a speed limit of 20 miles per hour (32km/h), but according to eyewitness accounts, the train entered it whilst travelling at about 65 miles per hour (105km/h). injuries= 126The Eltham Well Hall rail crash was an accident on the British railway system that occurred on 11 June 1972 at approximately 21:35. Well Hall is a place to the north of Eltham in the Royal Borough of Greenwich in southeast London, England, with no present formal boundaries and located 13.5 km (8.4 mi) east-southeast of Charing Cross. Emergency services were notified, and arrived between 21:40 and 21:42. Links The derailed train came to a halt very close to an electrical sub-station powering the third-rail for electric multiple unit trains and this had immediately short-circuited. Eltham Well Hall rail crash | owlapps At no point did Wilsdon even attempt to slow his train beyond having already shut off the engine to coast which was normal at this long downhill sector of the line. Well Hall - Wikipedia Places time Forgot London Bus East London London Areas Old Well Hall Bus Station 1970's J Michele Janes Eltham History News Stories Robertson, concluded that the driver Robert Wilsdon had "grossly impaired his ability to drive safely by drinking a considerable quantity of alcohol both before and after booking on duty, including some shortly before leaving Margate and some more in his cab during the journey."[2]. The structure sat at milepost 9 from Charing Cross. Shortly afterwards, a freight train collided heavily with the wreckage, killing the drivers of both locomotives. Stokes and Guard H. Atterbury. Eltham Well Hall - Kent Rail Stokes was unable to recall much of what occurred at Margate and Wilsdon died, so it was uncertain as to what had occurred during this period, and although a pub was close to the station, it was considered that they did not have enough time to reach it. The scheme required the demolition of Well Hall station, for it partially resided on the site required for the trunk road, but also gave rise to the closure of Eltham Park station and the provision of a brand new set of platforms in-between the two. He later claimed to a representative from the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen that he would not drink again. Wilsdon met with his secondman, a youth of 18 years, there. It came to a stand laying parallel with the locomotive, having jack-knifed and pushed slightly around so the leading cab was facing back towards the line and the rear cab was pointing away from the track. Initial reports suggest a person was hit by a motorbike. The layout was controlled from a signal box positioned beyond the London end of the "down" platform; this was the product of contractor "McKenzie & Holland", which signalled the Bexleyheath Line. Approaching Eltham Park he became so concerned at the speed that he made two quick applications of the vacuum brake to try to draw the driver's attention, but before he could get a reaction it was too late. Eltham Well Hall Rail Crash 1972 | Train crash, Places to - Pinterest Trying to gain Wilsdon's attention, he made two light applications ("splashes") of the guard's brake. When Arundell went to examine the cab, he found it empty but after returning shortly afterwards, saw a pair of beer bottles in the cab. Cannon Street station rail crash - Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia Despite his experience and long time working on the railways, Wilsdon had been reprimanded five times throughout his career. Guard Atterbury was not criticised whatsoever for his behaviour and it was considered unfortunate that his "splashes" were too weak to gain Wilsdon's attention. The recommendation that booking-on by telephone be carefully controlled was reiterated in the Inspectorate report of the Cannon Street Station rail crash in 1991. http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/eventsummary.php?eventID=134, Images of the accident (approximately halfway down the page), https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Eltham_Well_Hall_rail_crash&oldid=202875, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. "The train was the diesel-hauled 20.05 Margate to Kentish Town excursion train and it comprised ten coaches, well filled with passengers returning from a day's outing at Margate. The actor Phil Daniels, star of Quadrophenia, Scum, and later EastEnders was aboard one of the derailed coaches with his parents after a day trip. Railman Akehurst, who was on duty on the Well Hall platforms, had seen several earlier trains pass through the station and thence the curve, all of them slowing to the safe speed of 20 miles per hour (32km/h) but when he saw the excursion train approaching, he was quite certain it was traveling far beyond that speed. Contents Background The journey The accident Investigation Recommendations References An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. Eltham Well Hall station is to be replaced by a massive bus/rail interchange at Glenlea Road. The curve had a maximum permitted speed to be taken at 20mph but the train was estimated to have been travelling at 65mph resulting in the locomotive and all but one of the ten carriages derailing. East London Train Station Vintage Photos City Photo Autos A major rail crash happened at Well Hall on Sunday evening 11 June 1972. This issue was however was brought up again in 1991 after the Cannon Street station rail crash in which the driver in that instance was believed to have been high on cannabis and caused a buffer-stop collision. Robertson, concluded that the driver Robert Wilsdon had "grossly impaired his ability to drive safely by drinking a considerable quantity of alcohol both before and after booking on duty, including some shortly before leaving Margate and some more in his cab during the journey.". Wilsdon and Stokes were to sign on duty at Hither Green in person by 15:42 to catch a train as passengers to Ramsgate, transferring at Dartford. Stokes recalled that when Wilsdon turned to speak with him, he "smelt something pretty strong" on the driver's breath and when asked, Wilsdon explained that he had been drinking at lunchtime and later had some sherry prior to arriving in Ramsgate. This occasion aside, the station survived the war years intact. Genealogy Both brothers confirmed that he had not drunk after leaving the pub and were adamant on this point at the later public inquiry. An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. Eltham Well Hall rail crash - YouTube Railman Fleming, who was on duty at the platform and knew Wilsdon well, saw the train arrive and asked Wilsdon if it had broken down (owing to the clear signal visible from the platform), to which Wilsdon merely said "No" and jumped down from his cab before walking to a telephone on the platform to speak with Obee. A member of staff on the platform at this time noted that he had seen both Stokes and Wilsdon depart the locomotive and leave the station via Platform No.1 three minutes after having arrived at Margate and this was later compared with the timings made by Guard Atterbury, who recorded a 20:13 departure from Margate (eight minutes late) noting that both Stokes and Wilsdon were absent. Whilst it was agreed that it was a fairly common occurrence in the Southern Region and British Rail had adopted a policy where certain drivers could be granted need to book on via telephone (typically those either living far from depots or those whose duties commenced far from their depots). The crash happened at around 3.30pm today (May 23). There are currently no news items related to this accident. Whilst it was agreed that it was a fairly common occurrence in the Southern Region and British Rail had adopted a policy where certain drivers could be granted need to book on via telephone (typically those either living far from depots or those whose duties commenced far from their depots). In contrast, Stokes claimed that Wilsdon mentioned drinking some sherry when they met at Ramsgate. Notable survivors of the 1931 rebuilding at all three stations mentioned were the SER timber waiting shelters. The last station the train passed on its journey that Atterbury had to time was at Bexleyheath railway station 4.3 miles (6.9km) east of the accident site. An excursion train from Margate to Kentish Town derailed on a sharp curve at Eltham Well Hall station, Eltham, London. His suspension in 1961 was considered a warning sign of Wilsdon's alcoholic tendencies but it was agreed that at the time there was no evidence to disprove Wilsdon's statements that he would better himself and not drink again. It came to a stand laying parallel with the locomotive, having jack-knifed and pushed slightly around so the leading cab was facing back towards the line and the rear cab was pointing away from the track. The first and most serious of these moments was the fact that it was uncertain what had occurred with Wilsdon and his brothers between 14:02 and 17:15 with his brothers both declaring that Wilsdon had not drunk after returning from the pub in Rainham. RSS Feeds While they chatted the secondman 'smelt something pretty strong' on the driver's breath and when questioned about it, he replied that he had "had some beer at dinner time" and had "ended up going somewhere and drinking some sherry". This document is Crown Copyright, and is subject to the terms governing the reproduction of crown copyright material. Both men were subsequently suspended shortly afterwards, against which Wilsdon immediately appealed, claiming that the event was an isolated incident.