Thirsk rail crash (1967)
| Date | 31 July 1967 |
|---|---|
| Time | 15:17 |
| Location | Thirsk, Yorkshire |
| Country | England, UK |
| Rail line | East Coast Main Line |
| Cause | Rolling stock failure |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Deaths | 7 |
| Injuries | 45 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
Coordinates: 54°12′07″N 1°20′35″W / 54.202°N 1.343°W
The Thirsk rail crash occurred on 31 July 1967 at Thirsk, Yorkshire, England on the British Rail East Coast Main Line.
The 12:00 1A26 express train from King's Cross to Edinburgh and Aberdeen collided at speed with the wreckage of a derailed freight train around 15:17 on that day. Seven people were killed and 45 injured, 15 seriously. Following the accident, three of the four lines (the Up [Southbound] and Down [Northbound] Fast lines and the Down Slow line) were blocked by the wreckage of the collision. The Up Slow line was not damaged and was used by special trains to take the dead and injured to Newcastle upon Tyne. The line was also used later that day for both Up and Down trains to clear other trains stranded in the area by the blockage but was later used only for Up trains, Down trains being diverted via Harrogate over the Harrogate-Northallerton line which, though it had been closed, was re-opened for the purpose. Special bus services were introduced between Leeds and Northallerton and between York and Thirsk to replace local train services disrupted by the accident. Breakdown cranes were ordered from York, Leeds and Gateshead (Newcastle), and the derailed vehicles were cleared from the track by 23:30 on 1 August. Repairs to the track were speedy and the three damaged lines were all open by 16:20 on 2 August, all with an initial speed limit of 20 mph (32 km/h).
An extract from The Ministry of Transport report into the accident states:
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