On This Day in 1917, Ratho Train Crash
On 3 January 1917 at about 4.35pm, a serious railway accident occurred near Ratho station in Scotland when an express passenger train collided with a light engine on the Edinburgh and Glasgow main line. The crash took place just west of the station at a junction where a branch line from Dalmeny via Kirkliston joined the main route. Weather conditions at the time were stormy, creating difficult operating conditions for railway staff working at the junction.
Earlier that afternoon, a light engine working from Dalmeny had been brought to a stand opposite the junction signal box. The signalman intended for it to remain there until the 4.18pm Edinburgh to Glasgow express had passed. However, there was no fixed signal controlling the movement of the light engine and the system relied on hand signals. In the poor weather, the light engine began to move forward towards the main line without authorisation. Despite the signalman attempting to stop it using hand signals, his whistle and by placing the main line signals to danger, he was unable to prevent the engine from fouling the route.
The express train, hauled by North British Railway H class locomotive number 874, named Dunedin, was heavily loaded with passengers returning from the New Year holiday, including a significant number of servicemen. Travelling at approximately 30 miles per hour, it struck the light engine, causing the leading coach to telescope and the second coach to derail. The collision resulted in the deaths of twelve people, with a further 46 passengers suffering serious injuries.
A subsequent Board of Trade inquiry, led by Colonel J. W. Pringle, found that the fundamental cause of the accident was the unsafe practice of controlling access to a busy passenger line by hand signals rather than by fixed signalling. The inquiry highlighted serious shortcomings in operating procedures at the junction and reinforced the need for improved signalling arrangements to safeguard passenger services on Britain’s railways.