1904 Accident at Albany Road Bridge, Earlsdon, Coventry

Although no-one was injured this accident drew crowds from all over the city to see the four railway carriages which had rolled down the bank on to the Albany Road. The accident occurred during the early hours of 2nd July 1904 when the coaches, which had been left standing on a temporary siding, ran away. The temporary siding which they had been stabled on having not been fitted with a stop block or buffers. The reason the coaching stock ran away was because the locomotive working the Swift Motor Company's 4:55am Coventry to Birmingham excursion had entered the siding to add four more coaches and when the two sets of coaches touched the set in the siding ran away to ultimately to finish up in Albany Street. This series of photographs would have been taken the same or following day. Unlike today, railway workers would have immediately addressed the problem and left to later any Health & Safety audits. They would have quickly arranged for the nearest railway breakdown crane to attend, which was based at Rugby, the breakdown crew would have been quickly been assembled, and any materials required quickly ordered. As can be seen, the solution to the problem of getting the coaching stock back on top wasn't too difficult. A temporary track was laid down the bank to the road to enable the carriages to be pulled up one at a time by a locomotive. This involved the carriage being lifted by the crane, with the aid of jacks and timbers, so that it was positioned correctly on the track laid down the embankment. A cable was then connected between the carriage and the locomotive, which would then gently reverse pulling the carriage on to the siding at the top of the embankment.

On the day of the accident, the Midland Daily Telegraph published the following account, illustrated by a line drawing:

REMARKABLE RAILWAY MISHAP IN COVENTRY

COACHES OVER AN EMBANKMENT STRANGE SCENE IN THE ALBANY ROAD

A singular mishap occurred early this morning on the London and North Western Railway at Coventry, several coaches falling over an embankment. Fortunately no one was injured, but considerable damage was done to the carriages. It appears that some coaches were left standing on the temporary siding near Albany Road, these being intended for use with an excursion train which was to leave Coventry at 4.55am for Blackpool. The engine which was to work the train entered the siding with the other coaches for the purpose of drawing out those already in the siding. The two sets of carriages came in contact with each other, and before they could be secured four of the coaches started to run backwards. Ultimately these ran down the embankment into Albany Road. The heavy weight of the carriages caused the first to mount the footpath on the opposite side of the road. Happily, the houses escaped the impact; otherwise a serious disaster must have occurred. The noise caused by the falling carriages was considerable and created a sensation in the neighbourhood. The rear of one of the coaches was smashed in, the buffers of another were broken, and the carriages were more or less damaged. The mishap, bad as it was, caused no delay to the excursion, however, as other carriages were procured. A breakdown gang was at once sent for, and the work of removing the damaged coaches was soon commenced.

The reason why the carriages came over the embankment is that this, being only a temporary siding, no stop block is provided; consequently there was nothing to hold the carriages in check. Further inquiries show that the mishap occurred about three o'clock. The carriages that fell over the embankment were to form part of the Daimler Company's excursion train, and were labelled for various parties. It is stated the shunter who was preparing the train missed hooking the coaches on to those attached to the engine, and these being set moving by coming into contact with the other part of the train, there were no means of preventing the mishap, especially as there happened to be no stopping place. Four coaches in all came over the embankment, but fortunately they did not overturn, or the task of removing them would have been rendered still more difficult. One of the derailed coaches was left standing on the side of the embankment, while the other three were stretched across the road. The noise produced by the strange occurrence aroused many people living in the vicinity, who naturally wondered what had happened. A message was quickly conveyed to the station-master Mr T. Barraclough, and a breakdown gang was sent for from Rugby. A strong staff of men soon on the spot, under the supervision of Mr Walton. The coach resting on the side of the embankment was removed by means of an engine without much difficulty, but the task of getting the other carriages on to the line again was a much more difficult task. In order to affect this it became necessary to construct a temporary track with metal sleepers and this work, of course, took considerable time. Throughout the morning the men engaged on the task were busily occupied, their operations being watched by interested spectators, who had flocked to the scene from all parts of the city.

With the exception of the footpath on one side, Albany Road was rendered impassable for ordinary traffic, and the presence of railway carriages across the thoroughfare was a strangely interesting spectacle. By one o'clock this afternoon the workmen were still engaged on the construction of the temporary line for the removal of the coaches, which, it was noticed, would require to be thoroughly overhauled before they could be used again. In some cases the buffers were twisted and the framework splintered, whilst one carriage was so greatly damaged by the collision with another that the back portion of it was completely telescoped. The escape of the houses on the other side of Albany Road was nothing short of remarkable, considering the great weight behind the coaches when they came tumbling down the slope from the railway line, which at that point stands fairly high. By a fortunate circumstance, the last coach came to a standstill about a yard from the palisading in front of one of the residences, its career being checked to some extent by the footpath, although part of this was covered by the carriage. The scene of the mishap was visited by large crowds throughout the morning, many being attracted here by unfound rumours of serious accidents to passengers and other wild stories. The breakdown gang, however, were able to proceed with their work without interruption, and by one o'clock considerable progress had been made. The last carriage was got onto the level at 3.30pm this afternoon.