On the evening of 30 November 1948, in darkness and thick fog, a serious rail accident occurred on the Stockport Viaduct. At around 19:40, a passenger train from Manchester to Buxton ran into the rear of a stationary Manchester–Crewe and Disley train. The stationary service was being held at a signal at the southern end of the viaduct while waiting for a clear platform at Stockport.

Although the collision happened at a relatively low speed, estimated between 10 and 15 miles per hour, the impact was severe. Both trains were double-headed by steam locomotives, and the combined weight contributed to a violent telescoping of the rear coaches on the stationary train. The 11th coach was driven into the 10th for about half its length, and the collision took place roughly in the centre of the viaduct.

Five passengers were killed as a result of the crash. A total of 36 people were recorded as injured. Damage to the following Buxton train was described as slight, and there were no casualties reported among those on that train. Nearly all the harm fell upon the passengers seated toward the rear of the stationary service.

The official investigation determined that the accident was caused by the driver of the Buxton train passing a signal at danger. In the dense fog, he mistook a shouted remark from an assistant porter as being the guard’s signal to move the train. Under the operating rules of the time, the guard should have obtained explicit authority from the signal box before the train moved after being detained at danger, especially in poor visibility.

The inquiry into the crash opened on 8 December 1948, resumed in January 1949, and the final report was issued the following March. More than seventy years on, the Stockport Viaduct accident remains a significant reminder of how human error, combined with adverse weather and strict signalling procedures, can lead to tragic consequences on the railway.