The Geurie crossing loop collision occurred on the night of 23 August 1963.
Geurie is located between
Orange and
Dubbo
Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021.
The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...
in
New South Wales
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, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, Australia.
Events
The Sydney-bound Bourke Mail train, with 110 passengers, was steaming towards Geurie station. The locomotive was
C38 Pacific steam engine, 3817. Standing in the loop, beside a grain silo, was a goods train, hauled by a Beyer-Garratt
AD60 class locomotive 6003. It was refuged so as to cross the Mail train.
The length from the front of the Garratt locomotive to the driver's position contributed to a misjudgment of standing clear of the mainline. 3817 collided with the Garratt locomotive at an estimated speed of .
[
The fouling point, as was common practice at the time, was marked by a white lamp on a white post located quite close to the actual fouling point. The points at the entrance to the loop were operated by a ]ground frame
Mechanical railway signalling installations rely on lever frames for their operation to interlock the signals, track locks and points to allow the safe operation of trains in the area the signals control. Usually located in the signal box, the ...
and interlocked with signals using annett keys. There were no track circuit
A track circuit is an electrical device used to prove the absence of a train on rail tracks to signallers and control relevant signals. An alternative to track circuits are axle counters.
Principles and operation
The basic principle behind t ...
s over the points which might have detected the foul locomotive and thus held the home signal at "red" and thus stopped the mail train short of the obstruction.
The impact of the two locomotives colliding forced the Garratt into the side of the silo and reared up its boiler section on to its leading water unit. 3817 was derailed and pushed over on to its side. Three carriages of the Mail train were also derailed. The collision damaged approximately of track on the main line and loop and the line was not reopened for another three days.[
]
Damages
A total of 19 passengers aboard the Mail train were injured.[
Due to the considerable damage to both locomotives and the decline of steam traction then under way, neither 6003 nor 3817 returned to service.][
]
See also
* Zanthus train collision
The Zanthus train collision occurred at a crossing loop on the Trans-Australian Railway between Perth and Sydney on 18 August 1999. It is located east northeast of Perth and east of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, on the Nullarbor Plain.
...
* Lists of rail accidents
References
{{1963 railway accidents
Railway accidents and incidents in New South Wales
Railway accidents in 1963
Accidents and incidents involving New South Wales Government Railways
1960s in New South Wales
August 1963 events in Australia
Train collisions in Australia
Main Western railway line, New South Wales
Central West (New South Wales)
1963 disasters in Australia