Aviemore incident 29/9/23

[BwniCymraeg]

Completely understandable. It’s not insensitive by the way as you’ve probably been looking forward to this for weeks and you’re just looking for some solid information before setting off.

Thank you for your reassurance. It's particularly frustrating to me as I had a ticket for the 15th but came down with COVID the day before! Perhaps I should stop booking trips for a while, I might be cursed...

 

[800001]

Attached a link to The Sun paper below has a few different pictures included

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/24211909/two-rushed-to-hospital-aviemore-station/

 

[eldomtom2]

There’s clearly going to be an investigation into what’s happened as people have been injured and I’d have thought that the loco staying in situ would be what’s required at the moment while they get to the bottom of the causes.

The RAIB doesn't launch a full investigation into every accident that causes injuries or even fatalities.

 

[Temple Meads]

Thank you for your reassurance. It's particularly frustrating to me as I had a ticket for the 15th but came down with COVID the day before! Perhaps I should stop booking trips for a while, I might be cursed...

The railway has confirmed that services are cancelled for the rest of the weekend:

"We can confirm that on Friday 29th September at 18:15, a shunting incident occurred when the Flying Scotsman locomotive was being coupled with Belmond’s Royal Scotsman train carriages, which were stationary on heritage railway line, Strathspey Railway.
Flying Scotsman was visiting the railway as part of a planned excursion.
Emergency services attended the site to provide assistance. Two people are attending hospital with others being treated at the scene.
Appropriate authorities were notified immediately, and we are co-operating with their investigations.
This weekend's services are cancelled. Please contact our office who will process refunds ([email protected])"

Link to the update on Facebook

 

[Cowley]

The RAIB doesn't launch a full investigation into every accident that causes injuries or even fatalities.

Yes for sure, which was why I didn’t mention the RAIB anywhere whatsoever in any of my posts.

 

[alexl92]

Attached a link to The Sun paper below has a few different pictures included

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/24211909/two-rushed-to-hospital-aviemore-station/

That’s the same photo 3x from what I can tell.

 

[MCR247]

That’s the same photo 3x from what I can tell.

One slightly more zoomed in

 

[Sun Chariot]

That’s the same photo 3x from what I can tell.

And not a trace of sensationalist, over-egged journalism....

 

[cf111]

The RAIB doesn't launch a full investigation into every accident that causes injuries or even fatalities.

They don't, but I imagine they will want a look before handing back the scene.

 

[Purple Train]

They don't, but I imagine they will want a look before handing back the scene.

I imagine they might investigate it - it seems, from these early reports, similar to the accident at Grosmont a little while back with a 20 that they investigated.

 

[Pete_uk]

I wondered why Flying Scotsman was trending on X.
Seems quite a bit of catering equipment and a few bottles of drink have been chucked around.
Hope the two people injured get well soon.

 

[1Q18]

Hope the two people injured get well soon.

Fortunately they’ve already been discharged from hospital, according to BBC News.

A man and woman sustained minor injuries and were released after being taken to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.

 

[Royal351]

I imagine they might investigate it - it seems, from these early reports, similar to the accident at Grosmont a little while back with a 20 that they investigated.

I'm guessing that although it's a heritage railway the same reporting standards apply. Pretty sure a collision between rolling stock is a mandatory notification.

 

[nag67]

I imagine they might investigate it - it seems, from these early reports, similar to the accident at Grosmont a little while back with a 20 that they investigated.

Grosmont resulted in a short, factual safety digest highlighting existing learning rather than a full investigation with new recommendations.

 

[Dave W]

I'm guessing that although it's a heritage railway the same reporting standards apply. Pretty sure a collision between rolling stock is a mandatory notification.

It is, but that doesn't mean there'll be an investigation. If RAIB investigated everything it received they'd need a thousand investigators.

Thoughts with the two people hurt.

 

[Mag_seven]

Much worse will happen on the roads today but that will barely get a mention in the media.

 

[notverydeep]

Much worse will happen on the roads today but that will barely get a mention in the media.

Sadly much worse did happen on the roads today and to be fair was widely reported.

I’ve seen a heavy shunt like this at Bristol Temple Meads in the 1980s, where a class 47 pushed an engineers train several metres and knocked the driver of another 47 at the other end to the floor of their cab, but which didn’t even result in the train being cancelled!

 

[chuff chuff]

Sadly much worse did happen on the roads today and to be fair was widely reported.

I’ve seen a heavy shunt like this at Bristol Temple Meads in the 1980s, where a class 47 pushed an engineers train several metres and knocked the driver of another 47 at the other end to the floor of their cab, but which didn’t even result in the train being cancelled!

A buffer up and squeeze up all in one go.

 

[The Puddock]

Quite apart from the adverse publicity, this is going to be an expensive loss for the Strathspey Railway. They were charging £36 for adults and £24 for children for a return journey in standard class, while first class was £46/£30 or £49/£32 in the beavertail observation car, or £180 for a compartment for six. They were operating ten trains with the loco over the weekend, each eight coaches long, so that’s a lot of revenue to have to refund. I wonder if the hire fee for the loco will be waived? I understand it has cost a lot of money to bring in.

 

[158760]

Bit late to this but here’s what it looked like onboard.

 

[BRX]

Is it likely to have caused structural damage to the stock?

 

[MarkyT]

I wondered why Flying Scotsman was trending on X.
Seems quite a bit of catering equipment and a few bottles of drink have been chucked around.
Hope the two people injured get well soon.

This picture from a FB post shows a lot of equipment and supplies thrown around in a galley kitchen/store. Wonder if they were stocking up while the train was being prepared and loco attachment was taking place in the platform; maybe everything wasn't properly stowed and secured as it might usually be during the journey. You wouldn't want that lot falling on top of you. Surprised coffee brewers etc aren't more securely constrained.

 

[Towers]

“A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service added: "We were alerted at 7.10pm on Friday to reports of a collision involving two trains at Aviemore Railway Station.

We sent eight appliances to the scene, where firefighters worked to support partners.

Three appliances remain at the scene.”

Quite the response!

 

[Clarence Yard]

Is it likely to have caused structural damage to the stock?

For a rough shunt, not usually.

Take the set out of traffic, visually inspect, lift each vehicle to examine the centre castings and examine the buffing gear and couplers on each coach, effectively doing an old BR no 7 exam on the couplers, to make sure things like the buckeye support pins haven’t fractured.

You don’t even have to do all that if it is just a minor bump. But when you rough shunt a set the caterer usually looks a right mess - stock and plates everywhere!

 

[John Luxton]

“A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service added: "We were alerted at 7.10pm on Friday to reports of a collision involving two trains at Aviemore Railway Station.

We sent eight appliances to the scene, where firefighters worked to support partners.

Three appliances remain at the scene.”

Quite the response!

Presumably some one just dialled 999 and reported a train crash without giving details of the extent of damage or number of injuries?

This looks as though all that was required was an ambulance for the two that were slightly injured.

An over the top response just takes resources away from other incidents which may well be much worse.

No wonder the emergency services get stretched at times.

 

[Towers]

Presumably some one just dialled 999 and reported a train crash without giving details of the extent of damage or number of injuries?

This looks as though all that was required was an ambulance for the two that were slightly injured.

An over the top response just takes resources away from other incidents which may well be much worse.

No wonder the emergency services get stretched at times.

Quite surprised at their statement that three of the intial eight appliances remained on scene, I wonder why that was required. Does the catering equipment include a gas supply, I wonder?

 

[The Puddock]

Quite surprised at their statement that three of the intial eight appliances remained on scene, I wonder why that was required. Does the catering equipment include a gas supply, I wonder?

The Scottish Fire & Rescue Service always tends to overreact err on the side of caution. I've seen them send six appliances to a simple report of one person struck by a train before, and they weren't needed at all. If the initial report was of a "train collision" or a "crash" then eight appliances would be a reasonable turn out until further information on the severity of the incident is known. Again speaking from experience the trouble is once SF&RS turn up to an incident on the railway it is very hard to convince them to stand down.

The Royal Scotsman doesn't use gas, no.

 

[paul1609]

Quite surprised at their statement that three of the intial eight appliances remained on scene, I wonder why that was required. Does the catering equipment include a gas supply, I wonder?

I rather imagine that every retained fireman in the Highlands wants an entry in his logbook that he/ she was at the famous Flying Scotsman train crash incident. The only thing that would be better would be Flying Scotsman hitting the Harry Potter train.

 

[ExRes]

I very much expect that the initial phone call to the Fire Brigade said something along the lines of "There's been a crash, two trains have hit each other", what does anyone expect them to do? send one or two and then have to send more later when it's found to be a major incident? I think some people are making comments without thinking things through, imagine the outcry if they had made an insufficient response

 

[John Luxton]

I very much expect that the initial phone call to the Fire Brigade said something along the lines of "There's been a crash, two trains have hit each other", what does anyone expect them to do? send one or two and then have to send more later when it's found to be a major incident? I think some people are making comments without thinking things through, imagine the outcry if they had made an insufficient response

If I witnessed, or came across an accident I would try to give as much information as possible to enable the emergency services to make an informed decision.

I think who ever makes the call should try to be as informative as possible. Mention a train crash and people think of carriages strewn all over the place and multiple casualties.