Accident At Tredegar Station
17th December 1902

John Hill kindly sent in this report, copied from ‘The Railway Engineer’ for May 1903. It shows how a simple defect or mistake can have unforeseen and catastrophic consequences.

Lieut-Col. H.A. Yorke, R.E., reports that:

As the 6.40pm mineral train (9 loaded coal wagons and van) from Tredegar was ascending the hill between Sirhowy and Nantybwch, it was brought to a stand on the incline of 1 in 42 near the latter place, the driver then uncoupled the engine and subsequently backed it on to the wagons, and set them in motion. They ran back down the hill to Tredegar, where a disastrous collision occurred, resulting in the death of brakesman J.F. Lewis.

There were at Tredegar an Up passenger train on the main line alongside the platform; an engine and van a few yards north of this, also on the main line outside the points leading from the main line into the goods yard; a goods train n the weighbridge  siding, with its engine detached from it and standing at the water column  about two wagon lengths north of the train; a cattle train in the cattle siding on the east side of the main line at the north end of the station, with its brake van  alongside of the stationary van on the main line, a cattle train in the

cattle siding on the east side of the main line at the north end of the station, with its brake van alongside of the stationary van on the main line.

The signalman at Tredegar received warning from the man at Sirhowy that the wagons had run away, and with commendable promptitude he pulled over the points at the north end of Tredegar Station so as to turn the wagons into the goods yard. Immediately after he had done so the wagons reached Tredegar and struck the van and engine which were standing on the main line, breaking the former to pieces and forcing the engine into the siding, where it came into collision with the goods engine which was standing a few yards ahead of its train. The two engines then continued their motion and struck the goods train and forced it backwards for about 400 yards until the rear of it was derailed at the catch points  at the south end of the station. The runaway wagons were travelling at a very high rate of speed, and the effects of the collision between them and the stationary van was almost explosive in its violence. The van and 4 wagons of the runaway train and the stationary van were entirely broken to pieces, and 23 wagons were damaged. The two goods engines had their leading and trailing buffer planks broken and received other injuries, and the engine of the passenger train which was on the main line was struck by wreckage and slightly damaged.