LMS Route: Rugby to Tamworth

Polesworth station: lnwr_pol1207

A newspaper photograph showing the derailed boat train, rescue workers and onlookers. The MoT report continues, 'The Polesworth and Tamworth stationmasters were informed of the accident, which was not in sight of any signal box, within five or six minutes, and immediately called for assistance from the local ambulance organisations and the Staffordshire and Warwickshire Police; the Control was also notified. In response, doctors, nurses and ambulances were in attendance in strength from 11:10 am. onwards and no time was lost in conveying the injured to hospitals in the neighbourhood after they had received first aid attention. In the meantime valuable rescue work had been performed by passengers and the train crew and by the permanent way gang who were working nearby, and special credit is due to a nurse who was travelling in the train. Much was also done by ambulance trained Railway staff under the supervision of the Tamworth stationmaster, and rescue parties were sent by the Pooley Hall Colliery, the Royal Naval Air Station, Bramcote, and by the N.F.S. Some ladies brought a mobile canteen to the site and generous hospitality to the uninjured passengers was given by many residents at Polesworth.

The track of the Down Fast line required complete renewal for 380 yards and the adjacent Up Fast for 200 yards; the Up Slow line also required a considerable amount of repair, but the Down Slow was undamaged, though it was obstructed by the derailed vehicles. Four heavy cranes from Rugby, Crewe, Derby, and Wellingborough were at the site by 3:00 p.m. They worked at first from the Down Slow line, and after long hours of unremitting work by the staff of all departments, the two Slow lines were made available to traffic by 7:00 p.m. on 22nd July; normal working was resumed under speed restriction, with the restoration of the Down Fast line at 2:50 am. on 23rd July, after an interval of 40 hours. During the blockage, advantage was taken of the alternative route for through traffic via Rugby, Birmingham, and Stafford'.

back