|
London North Western
Railway:
Midland
Railway:
Stratford
Midland Junction Railway
|
|
LMS Route: Rugby to Tamworth
Polesworth station: lnwr_pol1207
|
A newspaper photograph showing the derailed boat train,
rescue workers and onlookers. The MoT report continues, 'The Polesworth and
Tamworth stationmasters were informed of the accident, which was not in sight
of any signal box, within five or six minutes, and immediately called for
assistance from the local ambulance organisations and the Staffordshire and
Warwickshire Police; the Control was also notified. In response, doctors,
nurses and ambulances were in attendance in strength from 11:10 am. onwards and
no time was lost in conveying the injured to hospitals in the neighbourhood
after they had received first aid attention. In the meantime valuable rescue
work had been performed by passengers and the train crew and by the permanent
way gang who were working nearby, and special credit is due to a nurse who was
travelling in the train. Much was also done by ambulance trained Railway staff
under the supervision of the Tamworth stationmaster, and rescue parties were
sent by the Pooley Hall Colliery, the Royal Naval Air Station, Bramcote, and by
the N.F.S. Some ladies brought a mobile canteen to the site and generous
hospitality to the uninjured passengers was given by many residents at
Polesworth.
The track of the Down Fast line required complete renewal
for 380 yards and the adjacent Up Fast for 200 yards; the Up Slow line also
required a considerable amount of repair, but the Down Slow was undamaged,
though it was obstructed by the derailed vehicles. Four heavy cranes from
Rugby, Crewe, Derby, and Wellingborough were at the site by 3:00 p.m. They
worked at first from the Down Slow line, and after long hours of unremitting
work by the staff of all departments, the two Slow lines were made available to
traffic by 7:00 p.m. on 22nd July; normal working was resumed under speed
restriction, with the restoration of the Down Fast line at 2:50 am. on 23rd
July, after an interval of 40 hours. During the blockage, advantage was taken
of the alternative route for through traffic via Rugby, Birmingham, and
Stafford'.
back
|