THE GREAT SNOW STORM
12th January 1847
PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN
The great snow storm on the evening of Tuesday 12th January 1847, the north eastern counties were visited by a tremendous snow storm for nearly 12 hours’ duration and the traffic on the London & Brighton Railway was stopped for much longer period. During the first few hours of the fall the up and down trains passed through the most with little difficulty, but after that time the line become wholly impossible, especially to this district, where the drifts from the hills into the cuttings were exceedingly great. It was the same with the old coach roads. Most of them blocked up, and the snow for miles around lies two to three feet in depth. So great has the fall been in the locality of the Balcombe parish that at 10.0 p.m. on Tuesday 27th January 1847, the station was found almost buried in snow. The first train from train from London in the evening that was stopped was the 5.0. p.m. express, containing a number of passengers, amongst who were Captain Hotham, Mr. Rowland Hill, and one
or two of the Directors of the London & Brighton Railway. On arriving from London, the fall of the snow became so thick as to prevent the engine driver scarcely seeing the length of the train, and shortly it was brought to a standstill. The engine driver, the stoker and the guards got down, and with shovels and implements proceeded to clear the snow off the rails to some
distance, thinking the great mass was confined to the cutting they were in. On the engine starting again it was brought to a dead stoppage at the end where the snow had been cleared. The men continued their labours as before, and vigour attempts were made to force the train, but were of trifling avail, as the wheels of the engine and the carriages were completely blocked with ice and snow.
There being no prospect of a passage being made through the snow as the snow was still falling heavily and had partly put out the fire, Mr Rowland Hill made known the unfortunate conditions of the train and passengers; and it being obvious that it so continued far sometime even it could be forward, the chilled passengers alighted from the carriages and returned to the station at Three Bridges, which, with a small inn adjacent is the only habitation for miles around. Here they remained the night, and in the morning returned to London. The exertions during the night to effect a passage that with the same result, one end of Balcombe tunnel being filled up with the drift. At an early hour four powerful engines arrived from town, accompanied by the company’s engineer, Mr. Hood, and these firmly coupled, started at a rapid pace in the hope of hope of cutting through the snow. This proved a failure, for the snow penetrated the fireboxes, the fires were extinguished and the engines rendered useless. As express was then forwarded back to London for the whole staff excavators the company’s employ. In due course of time a large army of “Navies” armed with spades and pick axes, and were immediately put to work. The company not having the benefit of the electric telegraph, and the old coach road, being like the line. Impossible for communications with Brighton and other parts down by the coast was consequently cut off. This continued until 4.0 p.m on Wednesday afternoon, last where the down line was sufficiently cleared to allow the passage of trains, but the up line still remained covered. Near to Brighton the railway is understood to have been in the same conditions, and that all trains on the previous night that left the metropolis were compel to return.
