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Accident Returns: Extract for the Accident at Wigan on 1st November 1860

Document Summary

The report on a collision between a passenger train and a locomotive engaged in shunting, at Ince Hall Colliery siding, Wigan.

This document was published on 27th November 1860 by Board of Trade.

It was written by Col. W. Yolland.

This item is linked to the Accident at Wigan on 1st November 1860

The original document format was Bound Volume, and comprised 2 pages.

This document was kindly sourced from Barry Turvin and is in our Accident reports collection. It was added to the Archive on 5th July 2012 by Stuart Johnson.

Copyright Information

This document is Crown Copyright, and is subject to the terms governing the reproduction of crown copyright material. Depending on the status and age of the original document, you may need an OPSI click-use license if you wish to reproduce this material, and other restrictions may apply. Please see this explanation for further details.

"The collision is said to have occurred at about 5h. 49m. p.m., at which time it was quite dark, but a fine clear night. The 5h. 5m. p.m. down express train, from Manchester to Liverpool and Southport, was due at Wigan at 5h. 44m., so that if the pointsman had done his duty in a proper manner, he should not have permitted the down main line to have been occupied by a coal train or engine, unless he had been informed from Wigan, that the passenger train was behind its proper time. No such intimation had been sent. All the parties concerned appear to have overlooked the fact, that this down express was due while they were engaged in bringing the coal waggons out of the siding; and although the full responsibility for this act undoubtedly belongs to the pointsman, still the driver and guard of the coal train should have called the attention of the pointsman to the circumstance of the passenger train being due. But the circumstance that a coal train is permitted to be on the main line at an improper time, should not of itself be productive of danger, if the place at which it stands is protected by signals."

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