Page:Report on the Shrivenham train crash of 15 January 1936 - MoT Shrivenham1936.pdf/4

 four months previously, but he said he knew it "well enough to work a train over it." He had checked his watch by wireless at 6.0 p.m. and had found that it was losing perhaps two minutes per day in the cold weather.

According to his statement, the train left Highworth Junction at 4.59 a.m. His account was as follows:

""I did not notice Murston Crossing box. I was sitting in my van engaged on other duties. I was preparing the London Division journal, and I did booking on Mr. Pole's journal. I was also consulting my service book to see the train service back from Didcot in the event of my being relieved there.

I cannot therefore say the time we passed Marston Crossing, but I should say we were travelling at 18 to 20 miles an hour, which is the normal speed.

I cannot remember what I was actually doing when I began to realise we were slowing up, but a couple of minutes afterwards I looked at my watch and saw it was 5.15 a.m., and after a further period of five minutes I realised we had come to a stand. I looked at my watch again and it was 5.20 a.m. After coming to a stand I applied brake very slightly.

I personally was of the definite opinion that the whole of the train was intact, and that we had come to a stand at Shrivenham home signal.

After coming to a stand, I looked through the end window of my van and sighted the Shrivenham signal box. I went through my van on to the verandah which was at the trailing end, and looked along the train with a view to seeing whether my train was intact and whether we were in fact at the home signal. It was then that I realised that my train had parted and that I only had the brake van and five wagons.

A glance to the rear a fraction later showed to my horror an express approaching on me. I gathered my flags and detonators, and, waving a red hand lamp violently, I raced to the rear, but I had not time to place down detonators...

I should say the express was about a mile or a mile and a half away when I first saw it. It is a perfectly straight road and I could see the head lights of the engine. I immediately raced back on the 6 foot side of the down main line and should say I ran back about 75 yards, but I am not quite sure of the distance. My tail lamp and side lamps were burning correctly, showing three reds to the rear. The weather was fairly good. There was a little mist in places, but nothing to speak of. I did not know the express was following me. I did not look at my watch at the time the collision took place.""

Questioned with regard to this evidence, Chandler said that the door of his van was shut; his fire was alight, but it was not exceptionally warm. He was neither drowsy nor tired. He felt no jerk hard enough to break a drawhook; in fact, the train ran from Swindon "perfectly smoothly". He was not expected to book the time of passing Marston Crossing, but he anticipated reaching Shrivenham at about 5.15 a.m. He did not, however, look out at this time, or subsequently, when, according to his account, he looked at his watch, because he "assumed the driver had sighted the distant signal at Caution, and I thought the driver was pulling up at the home signal"; on the other hand, he could not recall that, in doing so, the buffers made any noise.

Chandler asserted positively that he looked at his watch at the times stated, and he suggested that the collision occurred at about 5.23 a.m. He agreed that his van must have been gradually coming to a stand for about 7 minutes; but he was indefinite as to the period which subsequently elapsed before he acted. As to what he was doing at the time, he said "I was actually looking at my Service Book to ascertain the time of trains hone from Didcot if I was relieved there, when I realised that we had come to a stand." He had never experienced a break-away, and had not previously had to protect a goods train in rear.

3. Fireman J. H. Cozens, of the express, an excellent witness, aged 37, with 17 years' firing experience, stated that the run from Newton Abbot, where he and Driver Starr took over, had been quite satisfactory, and that the train left Swindon on time at 5.15 a.m. He said that "visibility was not too clear, but not sufficient to have fogmen out"; maximum speed had not been attained when the collision occurred, but he estimated that it was 50 m.p.h, when he heard the clear signal hell on passing the Automatic Train Control ramp (455 yards in rear