On This Day in 1906, Elliot Junction Train Crash

On this day in 1906, one of Scotland’s most serious early railway disasters unfolded during severe winter weather at Elliot Junction in Forfarshire, now Angus. On the afternoon of 28 December, amid heavy snowfall and poor visibility, an express passenger train collided with the rear of a local passenger service at the junction. The force of the impact caused extensive damage to the carriages and resulted in the deaths of 22 people, with a further 24 passengers injured.

Elliot Junction lay on the main line between Dundee and Arbroath and served as a stopping point for local services. On the day of the accident, extreme weather conditions had already disrupted rail operations across eastern Scotland. The express train, operated by the North British Railway, had been unable to continue north and was travelling south when it encountered the local Dundee and Arbroath train, which was either standing at or beginning to move away from the station when it was struck from behind.

Rescue efforts were severely hampered by the blizzard, with deep snow complicating access to the wreckage and delaying assistance. Among those fatally injured was Alexander William Black, the Liberal Member of Parliament for Banffshire, who succumbed to his injuries the following day. Contemporary reports described chaotic and distressing scenes as passengers and railway staff attempted to aid the injured in harsh and dangerous conditions.

A subsequent Board of Trade inquiry found that the driver of the express train, George Gourlay, had failed to proceed with sufficient caution given the weather and signalling conditions. He was later convicted of culpable homicide and sentenced to imprisonment, though the court acknowledged the exceptional circumstances created by the storm. The Elliot Junction disaster remains a stark reminder of the risks faced by railways in the early twentieth century and the critical importance of safety procedures during extreme conditions.