On This Day in 1900, Slough Train Crash
On this day in 1900, a fatal collision at Slough railway station exposed the danger of a fast express passing signals at danger on one of Britain’s busiest main lines. The crash happened at 1.41pm on 16 June on the Great Western Main Line, when a London Paddington to Falmouth Docks express ran into the rear of a local train bound for Windsor & Eton Central. Five passengers were killed, 35 were seriously injured and 90 suffered shock or minor injuries.
The local Windsor train had left Paddington later than planned after extra coaches were added to cope with heavy traffic for Windsor Racecourse. Its only booked stop before Windsor was Slough, where passengers’ tickets were collected before the train continued. It arrived at Slough at about 1.37pm and was standing in the down main platform when the express approached from behind. Signals had been placed at danger to protect the local train while it remained at the station.
Behind it, the 1.15pm express from Paddington to Falmouth Docks was running a little late and was not due to stop at Slough. It was hauled by Great Western Railway locomotive No. 3015 Kennet and was travelling at an estimated 50 to 60mph as it approached the station. The driver, Henry Woodman, passed the Dolphin distant and home signals at danger and also missed the Slough East distant signal, continuing towards a platform line already occupied by the Windsor train.
The first effective action came when the fireman saw the Slough East home signal at danger and applied the brakes. By then the express was far too close to the standing local train to stop. It struck the rear of the Windsor service at about 25 to 30mph, driving it forward by several yards and causing severe damage to the rear vehicles. The two rearmost carriages were destroyed, and parts of another carriage were also badly smashed.
The inquiry found that Woodman had failed to see the signals, and it treated his poor physical condition, age and fatigue as important factors. He had started duty at 5.00am that morning and was 59 years old. The fireman and guard of the express were also criticised for not keeping a proper lookout for signals earlier, although the fireman was credited for acting decisively once he saw the final danger signal. The accident raised serious questions about relying solely on a driver seeing and responding to lineside signals at speed.
Remembered today, 126 years on, the Slough rail accident remains significant because it strengthened the case for a system that could warn drivers directly when they missed or approached a signal at danger. On the Great Western Railway, that thinking contributed to the development and adoption of Automatic Train Control, a forerunner of later cab warning systems. The events of 16 June 1900 showed how a missed sequence of signals could turn a routine main line journey into a fatal collision within seconds.