On This Day in 1946, Browney Train Crash

On this day, 5 January 1946, a serious rail accident occurred on the East Coast Main Line near Browney in County Durham. In the early morning hours, a southbound London and North Eastern Railway goods train departed Low Fell in Gateshead at around 4.30am, bound for Doncaster. Shortly after passing south of Durham station, the train became divided when a coupling broke between the seventh and eighth wagons. The front portion continued forward under power, while the rear portion was left detached on a downhill gradient.

After the division was reported, the signalman at Browney stopped the front portion of the goods train at the signal box so that the crew could be informed. It was believed that the detached wagons would come to rest on a rising gradient further south near Littleburn, the only level or ascending section of line between Bridge House and Browney. While the fireman was off the locomotive speaking with the signalman, the crew suddenly became aware that the loose wagons were still moving and approaching rapidly from behind.

The runaway rear portion of the goods train collided violently with the stationary front section near the Browney signal box. The impact scattered wagons and debris across both the up and down lines of the East Coast Main Line, creating a major obstruction. The collision occurred only minutes before the arrival of a northbound overnight express passenger service running from London King’s Cross to Newcastle.

The express train, travelling at an estimated speed of about 50 miles per hour, struck the wreckage left by the goods train collision. The force of the impact destroyed the first three passenger coaches. The driver of the express later stated that all signals had shown clear and that he first became aware of danger when his locomotive began screeching before leaving the rails and coming to rest on its side. Both the driver and fireman survived the crash.

Ten passengers on the express train were killed as a direct result of the collision, with many others sustaining serious injuries. In the aftermath, a soldier from the nearby Brancepeth Army Camp who had gone to assist at the scene later died from accidental alcohol poisoning after consuming spirits that were being carried in one of the damaged goods wagons, adding a further tragic dimension to the events of that morning.

The line was cleared and normal rail services were restored within two days, despite the scale of the wreckage. An inquest opened at Durham on 9 January 1946, where the incident was referred to as the Ferryhill Crash. The inquiry examined the actions taken following the division of the goods train, including the decision to stop the front portion near Browney, and the crash has since remained a notable example of the dangers posed by runaway wagons on steeply graded main lines.