The Dagenham East rail crash was a railway accident on the
London, Tilbury and Southend line
The London, Tilbury and Southend line, also known as Essex Thameside, is a commuter railway line on the British railway system. It connects Fenchurch Street station, in central London, with destinations in east London and Essex, including , , , ...
of
British Railways
British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
which occurred at
Dagenham
Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross.
It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Forest ...
, United Kingdom.
The accident took place at around 19:34 on 30 January 1958 and was a
rear-end collision
A rear-end collision (often called simply rear-end or in the UK a shunt) occurs when a vehicle crashes into the one in front of it. Common factors contributing to rear-end collisions include driver inattention or distraction, tailgating, panic ...
involving two late-running trains. Conditions at
Dagenham East station were foggy at the time. The accident occurred after one train had
passed a signal at danger
A signal passed at danger (SPAD), known in the United States as a stop signal overrun and in Canada as passing a stop signal, is an event on a railway where a train passes a stop signal without authority. In the United States and Canada, this ...
due to a driver error in the thick fog. Ten passengers were killed in the accident and 89 injured. Four members of railway staff were also injured.
The trains involved were the
LMS 2-6-4 tank engine hauled 18:20
Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street is a street in London linking Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street in the west. It is a well-known thoroughfare in the City of London financial district and is the site of many corporate office ...
to
Shoeburyness
Shoeburyness (; also called Shoebury) is a suburb of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. east of the city centre. It was an urban district of Essex from 1894 to 1933, when it ...
and the
BR standard 2-6-4 tank hauled 18:35 Fenchurch Street to
Thorpe Bay
Thorpe Bay is an area of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. located on the Thames Estuary. Thorpe Bay is situated within the Thorpe ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or un ...
. Each train consisted of 11 coaches with approximately 500 passengers. The 18:35 train ploughed into the back of the 18:20 departure which demolished three carriages and derailed several others. The locomotive of the 18:35 train and leading carriage were derailed. Some wreckage blocked the adjacent
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
line but did not cause any further accidents.
One of the locomotives involved in this accident (80079) survives today at the
Severn Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The heritage line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route, and c ...
.
References
External links
Major Incidents Emergency Planning College(Excel). Retrieved 7 June 2006
Report of the Collision(PDF). Retrieved 7 June 2006
British Pathe – "Dagenham. Another Fog Disaster"
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Railway accidents and incidents in London
Transport in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
Railway accidents and incidents in Essex
Railway accidents in 1958
1958 disasters in the United Kingdom
1958 in England
1958 in London
Railway accidents involving fog
London, Tilbury and Southend Railway
Railway accidents involving a signal passed at danger
Dagenham
Accidents and incidents involving British Rail
January 1958 events in the United Kingdom
Train collisions in England
Rail accidents caused by a driver's error