The Sunshine rail disaster occurred on 20 April 1908 at the junction at
Sunshine railway station when a Melbourne-bound train from
Bendigo
Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital.
As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...
collided with the rear of a train from
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...
. 44 people were killed and over 400 injured, almost all of them from the Ballarat train, as the Bendigo train was cushioned by its two locomotives.
A temporary
mortuary
A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cus ...
was set up at Melbourne's
Spencer Street Station to deal with the dead and wounded, who were transported from Sunshine by special relief trains.
The disaster is
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
's worst railway accident in terms of deaths, and is
Australia's second-worst after the 1977
Granville rail disaster
The Granville rail/train disaster occurred on Tuesday 18 January 1977 at Granville, a western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, when a crowded commuter train derailed, running into the supports of a road bridge that collapsed onto ...
.
The subsequent
coronial inquiry
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner's juri ...
found that the two
drivers of the Bendigo train as well as the Sunshine
stationmaster had a
manslaughter
Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...
case to answer, although all three were later
acquitted
In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...
by the
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the highest court in the Australian state of Victoria. Founded in 1852, it is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited and inherent jurisdiction within the state.
The Supreme Court comprises ...
.
Crash
![Sunshine plan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Sunshine_plan.jpg)
At 6:30pm and 7:15pm on 20 April, two heavily loaded passenger trains left the regional cities of
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...
and
Bendigo
Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital.
As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...
respectively. 20 April was an
Easter Monday
Easter Monday refers to the day after Easter Sunday in either the Eastern or Western Christian traditions. It is a public holiday in some countries. It is the second day of Eastertide. In Western Christianity, it marks the second day of the Octa ...
and therefore the end of a
long weekend
A long weekend is a weekend that is at least three days long (i.e. a three-day weekend), due to a public or unofficial holiday occurring on either the following Monday or preceding Friday.
Many countries also have four-day weekends, in which ...
in Victoria. Fine weather had encouraged large numbers of people to leave Melbourne by train on the Saturday,
and many were returning on the Monday evening. As a result, both trains were crowded, and the Ballarat train had been extended beyond its normal length.
The Ballarat train was drawn by two
locomotives
A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the u ...
–
AA 534 and
'Old A' 202,
and consisted of a post van,
guard's van and 11 passenger carriages.
The Bendigo train was drawn by A
A 564 and A
A 544,
and consisted of a post van,
horse box
A horse trailer or horse van (also called a horse float in Australia and New Zealand or horsebox in the British Isles) is used to transport horses. There are many different designs, ranging in size from small units capable of holding two or thre ...
, 6 passenger carriages and a guard's van.
The Ballarat train reached Sunshine at 10:47pm, 43 minutes behind schedule, and, because of the extra carriages, was too long for the
platform
Platform may refer to:
Technology
* Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run
* Platform game, a genre of video games
* Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models
* Weapons platform, a system or ...
at Sunshine. The driver allowed passengers at the front of the train to disembark, then moved the train forward so the rear carriages were at the platform.
The Bendigo train was also running late, and its driver, Leonard "Hell-fire Jack" Milburna
nickname
A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...
which his colleagues later denied had any connection to recklessness or speed
was under instructions to operate the train as an express unless passengers needed to alight.
The Ballarat and Bendigo lines were both controlled by
absolute block signalling
Absolute block signalling is a British signalling scheme designed to ensure the safe operation of a railway by allowing only one train to occupy a defined section of track (block) at a time. This system is used on double or multiple lines where ...
from the Sunshine
signalbox
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetabl ...
. At
Sydenham Sydenham may refer to:
Places Australia
* Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Sydenham railway station, Sydney
* Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne
** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne ...
, the preceding signalbox on the Bendigo line, Milburn was given a "line clear" signal, because the Sunshine signaller had indicated the line was clear up to and through the station.
The distant signal, 970 yards from the point of impact, and the home signal, 283 yards from the point of impact, were set at danger.
Milburn stated the following day that when he sighted the distant signal set to danger, he applied the brakes, but they did not have any effect. He subsequently set the locomotive in reverse and applied as much power as possible in an attempt to slow the train.
As the Ballarat train began to move away from Sunshine, it was struck by the Bendigo train. The impact destroyed the guard's van and four rearmost carriages of the Ballarat train, but only caused minor damage to the front of the Bendigo locomotive.
Debris from the collision was thrown across both tracks and platforms of the station.
Aftermath
![Sunshine wreck](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Sunshine_wreck.jpg)
Immediately after the crash,
lighting gas escaping from the damaged carriages caused a fire,
which was extinguished by bystanders and the volunteer Sunshine fire brigade. The fire delayed attempts to rescue injured passengers trapped inside the train.
Rescue efforts were further hampered by the lack of available equipment such as
axe
An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...
s or
stretcher
A stretcher, gurney, litter, or pram is an apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or cart) is often ...
s, which had to be sourced from areas surrounding the station.
Uninjured occupants of the two trains and railway officials (including the drivers and
firemen
A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also a ...
of both trains) began to extricate others from the wreckage immediately after the crash.
In addition, a number of local residents who had seen or heard the accident ran to the station to assist with the rescue efforts.
Immediately after news of the crash reached Melbourne, railway officials began organising a relief train to carry supplies and rescue workers, as well as 4 doctors, to the scene of the crash. According to the Chair of the Railways Commissioners,
Thomas Tait, the train left Spencer Street Station at 11:30pm and arrived at Sunshine at 12:17am.
Conflicting reports indicate that the train did not arrive until 12:45am or later,
and Tait later denied that there had been undue delay in the response.
At 12:20am, the undamaged front section of the Ballarat train left Sunshine carrying survivors of the crash. A second casualty train departed at 2:10am carrying 10 bodies as well as injured passengers requiring medical attention, and a third left at 3:35 with 22 bodies on board.
When casualty trains arrived at Spencer Street, most of the badly injured were taken to the
Melbourne Hospital
The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), located in Parkville, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, is one of Australia's leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research. Th ...
,
while the dead were placed in
waiting room
A waiting room or waiting hall is a building, or more commonly a part of a building or a room, where people sit or stand until the event or appointment for which they are waiting begins.
There are two types of waiting room. One has individuals ...
s for identification.
After all the bodies had been recovered from the wreckage at Sunshine, work began immediately to clear the railway line, and one line was reopened by 7:00am the morning after the accident.
The Victorian
Coroner
A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...
visited the crash site through the morning of 22 April.
Coronial inquiry
The inquiry began in the following May and did not conclude until July. Conflicting evidence was given as to the adequacy of the brakes on the lead locomotive of the Bendigo train. It was given in evidence that a report had been made the previous January that the siting of the
home signal
The application of railway signals on a rail layout is determined by various factors, principally the location of points of potential conflict, as well as the speed and frequency of trains and the movements they require to make.
Non-provisio ...
(protecting a train standing at the platform) was poor. That report went on to say, however, that the starting signal (at the Melbourne end of the platform) could be seen further out.
The driver of the lead locomotive on the Bendigo train had been working for 12 hours and 25 minutes at the time of the accident. He stated that the brakes had been working satisfactorily as far as St. Albans, the prior station. He applied the brakes gently upon passing the distant signal; about 200 m from the Home signal, however, "the train shot me forward as though the brakes had come off" and "the train appeared to run into the engine". Realising that his train was not going to stop prior to reaching the Home signal, the driver put the locomotive into reverse and opened the steam regulator to apply as much power as possible.
Conjecture exists as to whether the Sunshine Stationmaster had acted in accordance with the regulations then in force in accepting the Bendigo train from Sydenham whilst the Ballarat train was standing at his station. He had 20 years of service, including 20 months at Sunshine, but was alone. He had been continuously on duty for 10 hours without relief prior to the accident. He had applied repeatedly, but in vain, for qualified assistance.
Result
![Sunshine Rail Disaster Memorial](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Sunshine_Rail_Disaster_Memorial.jpg)
The Coronial jury found that the drivers of both locomotives on the Bendigo train, together with the Stationmaster at Sunshine, had a case to answer. The charge of manslaughter against the stationmaster was later dropped; however, the drivers appeared before the Supreme Court from 24 September on that charge. The trial lasted two weeks.
In his summing up, the judge addressed the Court to the effect that the Crown case was that the driver of the lead locomotive had deliberately run past the distant signal at too great a pace and, expecting that the passage through the station would be clear, he found the home signal at danger and a train at the platform too late to stop clear. The judge concluded, however, that not one word of aspersion on a man's character had been suggested. The jury agreed with the judge's view and brought in a verdict of not guilty for both drivers of the Bendigo train.
Compensation
The Victorian Railways Commissioners admitted liability and paid claims aggregating £125,000 by way of compensation. In addition, there was another £50,000 damage to rolling stock and tracks, plus the costs of the inquest and subsequent legal proceedings, which were borne by the State.
References
Notes
Further reading
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*
{{1900s railway accidents
Railway accidents and incidents in Victoria (Australia)
1908 in Australia
Railway accidents in 1908
Public transport in Melbourne
Sunshine, Victoria
April 1908 events
1900s in Melbourne
1908 disasters in Australia