Penmanshiel Tunnel collapse (17th March 1979)

[Big Jumby 74]

Report on the Collapse of Penmanshiel Tunnel that occurred on 17th March 1979 in the Scottish Region British Railways :: The Railways Archive

Archive of UK railways documents

www.railwaysarchive.co.uk

At the time of the accident, work was in hand to increase the effective headroom by lowering the floor of the tunnel. The work on the Up (southbound) track had been completed and it had been reopened for single line traffic while a party of contractors' employees were engaged in tidying up the newly-excavated floor preparatory to the relaying of the Down line when the roof of the tunnel collapsed over a length of some 20 metres, allowing a quantity of broken rock, estimated at over 2000 tonnes, to pour into the tunnel, blocking it completely.

Of the men at work in the tunnel, 13 made good their escape but 2 were overwhelmed by the fall of rock and lost their lives, despite urgent and determined efforts at their rescue and recovery, including the attendance of a Mines Rescue team. Fortunately, no train was in or closely approaching the tunnel at the time of the collapse.

Apologies if this has been touched on sometime previously (there are a few older posts), but wondering if the resulting diversions of ECML trains, eg via Hexham/Carlisle etc, were planned so that the part of the journeys South of Newcastle remained in their booked pathways, or was it a case of retimings to the South, with both diversions and retimings to the North of the closed section?

Thanks if anyone can recall.

 

[Magdalia]

I still have the timetable supplement.

Only 5 daytime trains each way were diverted via Carlisle.

0912 Newcastle-Edinburgh (connected out of 0730 ex Leeds)
0550 Kings Cross-Aberdeen terminated Edinburgh at 1340
0800 Kings Cross-Edinburgh arr 1428
1500 Kings Cross-Aberdeen arr 2354
1600 Kings Cross-Edinburgh arr 2231

0757 Edinburgh-Kings Cross ran in path of 0915 ex Edinburgh from Newcastle
0857 Edinburgh-Kings Cross ran in path of 1230 ex Newcastle
1002 Aberdeen-Kings Cross ran in path of 1415 ex Edinburgh from Newcastle
1627 Edinburgh-Newcastle arr 1930 (connected into 1935 to Bristol)
1825 Edinburgh-York ran in path of 1630 ex Aberdeen from Newcastle

I haven't compared every train but there were few if any changes to the timetable south of Newcastle.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

I still have the timetable supplement.

Thanks for those. I was looking at a SAT, but presume whichever day (M-S) anything else from the South other than those above, terminated at Newcastle and started back to the South from there? Seem to recall on one occasion during the time in question being diverted round past GD shed, probably to turn a set (HST), either planned or ad-hoc, no idea.

PS: do you recall what date the new diversion around the tunnel came in to use? Thanks

 

[pitdiver]

All I can remember about the Penmanshiel Tunnel incident was that myself and a friend were due to go on a Railtour using an HST Kings Cross to Edinburgh. Due to the tunnel collapse the trip was cancelled but we never got a refund.

 

[Magdalia]

anything else from the South other than those above, terminated at Newcastle and started back to the South from there?

No. Various trains ran through to and from Berwick to connect with the buses to Dunbar.

do you recall what date the new diversion around the tunnel came in to use?

I had to check my sources: 20 August 1979.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

Many thanks.

 

[norbitonflyer]

I still have the timetable supplement.

Only 5 daytime trains each way were diverted via Carlisle.

0912 Newcastle-Edinburgh (connected out of 0730 ex Leeds)
0550 Kings Cross-Aberdeen terminated Edinburgh at 1340
0800 Kings Cross-Edinburgh arr 1428
1500 Kings Cross-Aberdeen arr 2354
1600 Kings Cross-Edinburgh arr 2231

0757 Edinburgh-Kings Cross ran in path of 0915 ex Edinburgh from Newcastle
0857 Edinburgh-Kings Cross ran in path of 1230 ex Newcastle
1002 Aberdeen-Kings Cross ran in path of 1415 ex Edinburgh from Newcastle
1627 Edinburgh-Newcastle arr 1930 (connected into 1935 to Bristol)
1825 Edinburgh-York ran in path of 1630 ex Aberdeen from Newcastle

I haven't compared every train but there were few if any changes to the timetable south of Newcastle.

There were also direct Euston to Edinburgh trains, nominally non-stop as I recall, (does your timetable supplement confirm this recollection?) but there must habve been a traction change somewhere (probably Carstairs or Carlisle) as Edinburgh was not electrified until 12 years later, and possibly a crew change somewhere as well

 

[CW2]

The Penmanshiel Table 26 temporary timetable can be viewed free on the Timetableworld website:
https://timetableworld.com/ttw-viewer.php?token=7fa226af-df4b-4475-9240-17d77348cc0e

If you want to download your own copy it will cost you £2, but it is free to view online.
The various "East Coast" trains which ran to / from Euston are included in this timetable.

 

[AJP62]

There were also direct Euston to Edinburgh trains, nominally non-stop as I recall, (does your timetable supplement confirm this recollection?) but there must habve been a traction change somewhere (probably Carstairs or Carlisle) as Edinburgh was not electrified until 12 years later, and possibly a crew change somewhere as well

From memory these changed traction on the curve at Carstairs. They stopped at Carlisle but not for passenger use - not sure where else. Formed of aircon MkII first class mainly I think.

 

[class17]

I still have the timetable supplement.

Only 5 daytime trains each way were diverted via Carlisle.

0912 Newcastle-Edinburgh (connected out of 0730 ex Leeds)
0550 Kings Cross-Aberdeen terminated Edinburgh at 1340
0800 Kings Cross-Edinburgh arr 1428
1500 Kings Cross-Aberdeen arr 2354
1600 Kings Cross-Edinburgh arr 2231

0757 Edinburgh-Kings Cross ran in path of 0915 ex Edinburgh from Newcastle
0857 Edinburgh-Kings Cross ran in path of 1230 ex Newcastle
1002 Aberdeen-Kings Cross ran in path of 1415 ex Edinburgh from Newcastle
1627 Edinburgh-Newcastle arr 1930 (connected into 1935 to Bristol)
1825 Edinburgh-York ran in path of 1630 ex Aberdeen from Newcastle

I haven't compared every train but there were few if any changes to the timetable south of Newcastle.

What about sleeper trains?
We were doing an all-line all-line rover, or possibly an Eastern one (regional ones were available on those days).
From my memory, although it is a long time ago, I recall being told we were the first passenger train through after the works had been completed. I cannot recall if this was scheduled, or because the line opened a little earlier then scheduled. I think it may have been the latter.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

The Penmanshiel Table 26 temporary timetable can be viewed free on the Timetableworld website

Thanks for the tip. Didn't think to look for a temporary TT, doh!

 

[Andy R. A.]

Some of my recollections of the first week or so when some additional services were run in and out of Euston from Monday 19th March 1979. This had started with two Edinburgh trains each way, joined by a third to and from Aberdeen from Monday 26th. There is mention in the last entry about the proposed diversion of one of the Sleeper services, and the problems being faced.

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[AJP62]

Sleeper trains were a pretty full set I think, using Kings Cross up to Newcastle then Carlisle - the extra time didn't matter overnight and more capacity along the Tyne Valley. Carlisle was so busy that at least one used the station avoiding line and changed crews at Bog Junction to the west of the station.

 

[Harvester]

do you recall what date the new diversion around the tunnel came in to use?

I had to check my sources: 20 August 1979.

A few freights started to use the diversion from Monday 13th August 1979. First passenger train was the Sunday 20:00 Kings Cross-Aberdeen on 19th August, which travelled over the diversion early on the 20th.

 

[Mollington St]

Here is the 32 page Special Issue Timetable Issue - Copy up on my website at Transport Past Times

 

[702]

There were also direct Euston to Edinburgh trains, nominally non-stop as I recall, (does your timetable supplement confirm this recollection?) but there must habve been a traction change somewhere (probably Carstairs or Carlisle) as Edinburgh was not electrified until 12 years later, and possibly a crew change somewhere as well

Which diesel traction would they change to?

 

[norbitonflyer]

Which diesel traction would they change to?

I used one once, but don't recall - certainly nothing particularly exotic - probably an ETH 47 from Haymarket's allocation. It was, after all, not unusual for a diesel to operate between Edinburgh and Carstairs on a WCML service - eg the Liverpool/Manchester to Edinburgh/Glasgow services which joined and divided at Preston/Carstairs.

I do recall it was an 86 that brought us the rest of the way to Euston.

 

[702]

I used one once, but don't recall - certainly nothing particularly exotic - probably an ETH 47 from Haymarket's allocation. It was, after all, not unusual for a diesel to operate between Edinburgh and Carstairs on a WCML service - eg the Liverpool/Manchester to Edinburgh/Glasgow services which joined and divided at Preston/Carstairs.

I do recall it was an 86 that brought us the rest of the way to Euston.

Thanks, a bit before my time tbh, but a 47 doesn't seem surprising.

 

[Davester50]

I remember seeing the Deltics on the Edinburgh to Dunbar shuttles too.

 

[d9009alycidon]

The Glasgow to Scarborough SO services ran via Edinburgh, reversed then ran via Carlisle, did a return on these, on the way back a freight had derailed near Harthope Viaduct and single line working was in operation. After a stop to pick up the pilot man at Beattock we had a hellfire ascent of the bank, 40 for haulage.