UK: 1957 rush-hour train crash

[John Ashworth]

From the archive: Rush-hour disaster to three trains

Originally published on 5 December 1957

* The Guardian, Saturday 5 December 2009

A fly-over bridge fell on two passenger trains crammed with rush-hour City and West End workers and Christmas shoppers which collided between Parks Bridge Junction and St John's Station, South-east London, in dense fog last night. When the bridge came down it brought with it a third train, which was standing on it.

Police said 50 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage of one train – a steam-driven one. Other bodies were thought to be still in the wreckage last night. Police also gave the number of injured as: 113 seriously and 39 slightly.

Some of the dead and severely injured were in the rear coaches of an electric train, but most were in the steam train. By 1 30 a.m. to-day, efforts to get out the bodies beneath the fly-over had been stopped until daylight, because of bad light and danger.

The crash occurred when a fast steam train from Cannon Street Station hit the rear of a stationary diesel-electric train. Casualties were heaviest where the viaduct fell. At one time there was almost a continuous procession of stretchers along the track to ambulances at St John's Station. As rescue work went on last night there came a growing fear that the viaduct might fall completely with the weight of the third train on it, endangering the lives of rescue and clearance workers.

One of the men who lives in the houses that back on to the line said that what apparently happened was that the steam express travelling at speed ran into the back of the stationary electric train. The coach jumped back and upwards, hit the bridge, crashed forward, and the bridge with the train on it came on to this coach.

At midnight, firemen were still gingerly breaking away wreckage from the crushed coach. [They] formed tug-of-war teams to deal with the heavier pieces of metal. The danger increased of the bridge collapsing on to them.

More bodies came into view. At least three could still be seen in the wreckage. Five stretchers and blankets rested between the rails of the other line waiting to receive them. It is believed more bodies will be found in the crushed coach. Bodies shrouded in blankets and coats lay in a long row beside the track.

Alongside were strewn handbags, gloves, shoes, and gaily wrapped Christmas parcels. Plain-clothes policemen carried out the melancholy task of collecting valuables and trinkets scattered along the line. Inside the tilted carriages could be seen brown paper parcels, somebody's knitting, and similar small possessions abandoned by frantic passengers.

These archive extracts are compiled by John Ezard: john.ezard@guardian.co.uk