Burscough Junction rail accident

The Burscough Junction Station Crash occurred on 15 January 1880 at the Burscough Junction railway station on the Liverpool to Preston railway line in England.[1] The line was operated by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway company at the time. There were nine people killed in the accident and more than fifty people were injured.[2]

The cause of the accident was a combination of human error, a defective and inadequate signalling system and an inadequate track layout which could not cope with complex train movements. The Liverpool to Preston line is carried over the Southport to Wigan Line by embankments and a bridge shortly after leaving Burscough Junction Station heading towards Preston, the lines crossing almost at 90 degrees. Two spur lines had been built to connect the Liverpool to Preston railway line to the Wigan to Southport railway line, these spur lines being known as the Burscough Curves. This meant that complicated train movements were being made between the two railway lines, e.g. as both lines were double tracked trains from Southport to Ormskirk, which used the more southerly of the spurs, had first to cross the Wigan to Southport track and then on leaving the spur cross the northbound line from Liverpool to Preston in order to reach the southbound Preston to Liverpool track leading to Ormskirk. At approximately 6:05 pm the southbound train left the station heading for Ormskirk having been turned onto the downline by the signalman on duty at Burscough. 200 yards south of the station, adjacent to the Brickfield (Platts Lane) siding, the train collided with the Liverpool to Preston train which had left Liverpool at 5:30 pm. The northbound train was eventually due to carry on to Fleetwood to disembark passengers for the Belfast steamer ferry.[3]

The first two carriages of both trains were completely shattered and the passengers thrown about in all directions. Those who could, scrambled out of the wreckage to be met by railway officials who had heard the collision and were making their way toward the site of the crash. A number of medical gentlemen arrived by special train and rendered very valuable services. The injured were taken to Preston Infirmary by special train at 10:00pm. The pointsman, Anthony Melia, from Burscough Junction station was taken into custody and appeared at the subsequent inquiry.[4] Anthony Melia was found not guilty, by the inquiry, of criminal negligence[5]

Dr Hall of Preston, who was a passenger on one of the trains rendered valuable assistance at the scene of the accident[6]