The Harrow Rail Crash was a rail crash involving three different trains at the Harrow and Wealdstone train station. On the 8th October 1952 a train travelling from Perth, Scotland, crashed at speed into a passenger train at the station. The crash killed 112 people, injuring 340, mostly passengers in the local train. The accident occurred in the morning rush hour at around 8:17 AM while a local train stood in platform 4 waiting for passengers to board. The passenger train was carrying 800 passengers at the time of the crash. The train had been delayed by 8 minutes due to fog. The Perth Night Express train bound for Euston, crashed onto the back of the local train also bound for Euston.
Beside the first crash, a second crash followed, when the Northbound Express to Liverpool passed through the station. Sixteen vehicles comprising thirteen train coaches, two bogie vans in addition to a kitchen car were destroyed in the collisions. Most of the casualties in the local train travelled in three wooden carriages at the back. The force of the impact compressed the local train three rear carriages into one. The Perth locomotive was buried under the wreckage, therefore killing the driver and the fireman instantly. We, at Plumbers Harrow, are passionate about keeping everyone updated about amazing stories that took place in Harrow. So, alongside this, if you find yourself searching for plumbers Harrow area, then you will now know where to look. Keep reading about the aftermath of the train crash below.
Casualties
The 112 casualties, included the driver and fireman on the Perth express train, and the driver of the Liverpool Express. As a result a total of 340 were reported injured, of which 157 who were taken to hospital for treatment.
Harrow and Wealdstone Station
Report
The Ministry of Transport issued a train crash report in June 1953, written by the Railway Inspectorate. The investigation into the crash established the Perth train driver passed one caution and two danger signals before the crash. The report found the Perth driver responsible for the crash, unfortunately he died in the crash along with the fireman. Read the information about the first ever fatal car crash (in Harrow) from the article published on the homepage of Local Plumbers Harrow website.