1876
Railway accidents on the
L.B.S.C.R.
from http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk
London Victoria 29th January 1876
Littlehampton 20th February 1876
London Victoria 19th May 1876
Gloucester Road Junction 8th June 1876
Crystal Palace 16th June 1876
DR DAVID TURNER COLLECTION
New Cross Engine Cleaner John Webb started as an Engine Cleaner in September 1875
E.J. Bedford Collection
Eastbourne Semi Roundhouse Loco Shed
Eastbourne Loco shed semi-roundhouse opened in 1876, closed in 1911
and was demolished in 1912.
EAST GRINSTEADFATAL ACCIDENT OF CHARLES HERRIOTTWEDNESDAY 4th OCTOBER 1876
In 1876, Three Bridges Engine Driver John Packham was involved in a fatal accident and had to attend the inquest, the proceedings of which appeared in the Kent & Sussex Courier, 6th October 1876.
The recent fatal accident on Friday, L.G. Fullagar Esq, the East Sussex Coroner held an inquest at the Fox Hotel, Three Bridges, on the body of Charles Herriott, a fireman in the employment of the Railway Company, whose death has already been reported. John Herriott, plate layer, identified the deceased as his son, Charles Herriott, age 22.
John Packham, engine driver, stated - The deceased was fireman to my engine. On Wednesday evening we had been shunting to join the 6.1 train with East Grinstead. We had been standing on the bank several minutes, and came back into the main line to fetch the train which had just come down from London.
During the time we were coming to the train, I asked the deceased to light the lamps. He lit the head lamp, and just as came back on to the carriages he stood beside me. He could light the lamps without getting off the engine. There was one more lamp to light - the tail lamp - and I understood he went to do it when I received a signal from the inspector to pull into No.4 sidings to take one on.
Supposing he had been lighting the tail lamp I could not see him very well, because he would be at the back of the tender. I opened the whistle, and several seconds afterwards put on the steam. Then I heard the deceased shout “OH” or “Woa”. I at once stopped the engine, which had travelled no more than a yard, and hearing the sound came I jumped off the engine and looked underneath.
I shouted “Charley, I never knew you were there.” Getting no answer I ran round the other side where I could get a better sight underneath. I saw him fast to the left hand crank, or “big end,” and the boiler. I at once shouted for someone to help him while I reversed the engine back. He was caught in the machinery with his left hand extended and his face downwards. When I reversed the engine he was released, and fell down. He appeared to be quite dead.
I cannot imagine what he was doing, unless he went to oil the eccentric strap, which I had done and told him so. I think that is what he went to do, because he had the feeder we use for the purpose. He should have told me he was going underneath, and if he had been lighting the tail lamp I consider he would have been safe, although the engine had started. He must have “nipped” down there very suddenly, just as I received the signal. He had been with me for 10 months as fireman.
Mr. Smith, surgeon, Crawley, said he saw the deceased on Wednesday evening and found him quite dead. The skull was fractured and the brain injured to such an extent that death must have been instantaneous.
Thomas Bugden, station inspector at Three Bridges, stated: On the evening in question he started the 6.1 train to go into a siding to take on. The driver gave one whistle before he started. He had the train been going right away he should have given three whistles from the engine. The practice is that the fireman, if he goes underneath, should give notice to the engine driver. He did not blame the engine driver in the least.
The Coroner having summed up, the jury at once returned a verdict of
“Accidental Death.”
John Packham (D.O.B. 1846 - D.O.D. 1919) was a engine cleaner, fireman, driver
and a loco foreman at Three Bridges & Brighton.
INFORMATION COURTSEY OF
RICHARD YARDLEY
E. J. Bedford Collection
Beulah was based at Newhaven when this photo was taken at
Lewes in c1876
Right: Inspector William Hayden (Department unknown).
THE EAST LONDON LINE
OPENS IN 1876
EXTRACTED & ADAPTED FROM THEBASILICA FIELDS WEBSITE
London in the 1870s was a period of great expansion for the suburban railway. Most of the LB&SCR suburban services were first worked by ancient Craven tender engines which were highly unsuitable and caused severe congestion at the London termini as they queued to be turned. Their replacements, Stroudley’s A class tanks, had proved to be successful on inner suburban services on both the South London and East London Railways. Stroudley’s D class 0-4-2 tanks were introduced in 1873, were perfect for the task; they were more powerful than their 0-6-0T cousins. Their success resulted the building of 125 examples down the years to 1887, thirty one of which in the 1890s were based at New Cross for servicing trains north across the river via the ELR and SLR lines.
As suburban traffic continued to increase in capacity and weight, so the D1s began to take over even the inner suburban turns traditionally associated with the Terriers, which by the mid 1890s were rapidly being stripped of their condensing equipment and rusticated. The introduction of Billinton’s radial and bogie tanks in the 1890s had no more than a little effect on the class in the London district, but further introductions in the early 1900s prompted their rapid decline on outer suburban services and heralded the first withdrawals. The D1s remained in use on services over the East London Railway until electrification in 1913, and on the East London Railway Extension until 1915.
The D1 0-4-2Ts share turns with a Terrier on LB&SCR services through Basilica Fields via the East London Railway Extension and Extended Widened Lines. Number 299 New Cross, of that shed. Due to the frequency of trains over the East London Railway and East London Railway Extension it would make sense to incorporate at least another one of the 31 members of the class allocated to New Cross during the mid 1890s.
The East London line from New Cross to Shoreditch opened in 1876. eventually into
Liverpool Street station. From 1886 this service was cut back to Shoreditch. The Great Eastern Railway taking control of services into the terminus. The Great Eastern Railway also having control of all goods services through the Thames Tunnel from about 1880.
With the Extended Widened Lines feeding the New Thames Tunnel there was an increase in cross-river goods services, the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway, London, Chatham, & Dover Railway and South Eastern Railway all contributing and feeding into the north shore docklands and markets.
The L.B.&.S.C.R. had no part in goods workings over the East London Line via Wapping and Rotherhithe; those services were entirely under the jurisdiction of the Great Eastern which ran trains from and to the exchange sidings at New Cross. With the opening of the New Tunnel and a couple of small L.B.&S.C.R. depots north of the river, E1 tanks ran limited goods services via that route on to the Extended Widened Lines. New Cross had an allocation of twenty nine E1 tanks in the mid-1890s
PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR STATION
OPENS ON 2nd OCTOBER 1876
Railway accidents on the
L.B.S.C.R.
Norwood Junction 10th December 1876
Involving Driver David Miles and Fireman Edward Power Depot unknown
SEE SUB PAGE
London Victoria 23rd December 1876
Involving driver George Preston and his Fireman C. Wright &
driver John Taylor and his Fireman James Cogan Depots unknown
SEE SUB PAGE