DERAILMENT NEAR HITHER GREEN

An express passenger train, consisting of two six-coach diesel-electric sets, derailed near Hither Green at about 70 mph, when the leading pair of wheels of the third coach struck a wedge-shaped piece of steel that had broken away from the end of a running rail, and became derailed. The initial derailment was caused by the fracture of a rail as the train was passing over it. The fracture was caused by excessive working of the joint resulting from unsatisfactory support conditions including: inadequate clean ballast under the two original concrete joint sleepers; the absence of a rubber pad under the rail seat; and substitution of a wood sleeper for the running-off concrete sleeper which cracked because the pad was missing. Due to unsatisfactory track maintenance, a speed restriction of 60 mph was placed on the track.

• Corporate Authors:

  Temple Press Limited

  161-166 Fleet Street
  Longon EC4,   England 
• Publication Date: 1968-10-4

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 753
• Serial:
  • RAILWAY GAZETTE
  • Volume: 124

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Ballast (Railroads); Concrete; Concrete ties; Defects; Derailments; Fastenings; Fatalities; Injuries; Maintenance of way; Mud pumps; Passenger cars; Passenger trains; Passengers; Rail joints; Railroad cars; Railroad rails; Railroad ties; Railroad trains; Technology; Tie bars; Traffic crashes; Velocity; Wood ties
• Uncontrolled Terms: Ballast
• Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
• Old TRIS Terms: Mud pumping; Passenger deaths; Passenger injuries; Wooden cross ties
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Railroads; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00037471
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 13 1976 12:00AM