Buttevant Rail Disaster: 40 Years

[DiveController]

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/0730/718273-buttevant-train-crash/

About 12:45 the 10:00 am Dublin (Heuston)to Cork (Kent station) express train entered Buttevant Railway Station carrying some 230 bank holiday passengers. The train was diverted off the main down line across a set of 1:8 temporary facing points into a siding.

Although the locomotive remained upright in the siding, the older wooden framed carriages immediately behind the engine and generator van jack-knifed across the lines, with the two coaches and the dining car disintegrating under the enormous compression forces of the 60 mph crash. Two coaches and the dining car were totally demolished by the impact. Most of the Cravens coaches remained intact at the rear.

Eighteen Irish, British, Austrian and American passengers died and more than 70 people were injured.

Edited August 1, 2020 by DiveController

[hexagon789]

41 minutes ago, DiveController said:

https://www.rte.ie/archives/2015/0730/718273-buttevant-train-crash/

About 12:45 the 10:00 am Dublin (Heuston)to Cork (Kent station) express train entered Buttevant Railway Station carrying some 230 bank holiday passengers. The train was diverted off the main down line across a set of 1:8 temporary facing points into a siding.

Although the locomotive remained upright in the siding, the older wooden framed carriages immediately behind the engine and generator van jack-knifed across the lines, with the two coaches and the dining car disintegrating under the enormous compression forces of the 60 mph crash. Two coaches and the dining car were totally demolished by the impact. Most of the Cravens coaches remained intact at the rear.

Eighteen Irish, British and American passengers died and more than 70 people were injured.

 A very sad incident, my thoughts go firstly to the families affected by the tragedy.

I believe this accident provided some of the impetus for the placing of the Mark 3 order if I remember rightly?

Though sadly before the Mk3s had been built there was the other accident at Cherryville in 1983 again compounded by the use of timber stock in the train make-up.

[Broithe]

 

 

[DiveController]

16 hours ago, hexagon789 said:

I believe this accident provided some of the impetus for the placing of the Mark 3 order if I remember rightly?

Though sadly before the Mk3s had been built there was the other accident at Cherryville in 1983 again compounded by the use of timber stock in the train make-up.

Quite correct, by comparison the Mk3s with their corrugated roofs can withstand 300T compression forces. I remember this accident as a child.

And yes, Cherryville happened again before the wooden bodied stock was finally withdrawn. The wooden bodied stock was fine for its day but not designed for high speed mainline travel like the MK3s

Edited August 2, 2020 by DiveController

[RobertRoche]