> David i need to know times and circumstances for the accident and also some
> trivial information about this
Here goes...
On Tuesday, 18th January, 1977, passenger train No. 108, operated by the Public
Transport Commission of New South Wales (PTC) departed Mt Victoria, in the
mountains 126 km west of Sydney, as scheduled at 6.09 a.m. being due to arrive
in Sydney at 8.32 a.m.
The train comprised eight carriages hauled by an electric locomotive, No. 4620.
Prior to departure from Mt Victoria the train crew carried out the required
inspection procedures and found everything in order.
The journey down the mountains to Parramatta was without untoward incident, the
train operating in a normal manner as it received and set down passengers at
intermediate stations. The train departed Parramatta at 8.10 a.m., three
minutes late, having being delayed by signals at Blacktown, with at least 469
passengers.
The normal schedule for this service provided for a non-stop run from Parramatta
to Strathfield and signals were cleared at Granville, 2 km east of Parramatta,
for a run through Granville Station on the up main western line, the normal
route for a movement of this kind.
Soon after leaving Parramatta the speed of the train accelerated to 80 kph, the
authorized maximum speed for this section. Being aware of a 20 kph temporary
speed restriction because of track work being performed at Clyde, east of
Granville, the driver shut off power and was reducing speed just prior to
reaching Granville.
As the train was moving around a left hand curve travelling east and about 150
feet west of an overbridge known as the Bold Street bridge the locomotive,
travelling at a speed of 78 kph (2 kph under the speed limit), became derailed
and in turn caused the derailment of the leading and second carriages.
Still attached to the derailed carriage 1, the locomotive proceeded in an
uncontrolled and uncontrollable condition when it collided with one of two sets
of trestles (No. 2) supporting the upper decking of the Bold Street Bridge. It
careered on from there, demolishing all eight steel stanchions of that trestle
and finally came to rest on its right side 220 feet east of the bridge, having
torn up up the adjoining track. In doing so, it probably struck the foundation
and lower portion of a steel electric power line mast, shearing it off at the
base.
In the meantime, carriage 1, having been dragged behind the locomotive, collided
with the power mast already referred to which was apparently suspend from the
overhead power lines. This mast ploughed through the carriage, demolishing the
superstructure, and the carriage finally came to rest partly on its side, with
the detached roof on the adjacent tracks and the walls demolished almost to
floor level. Of the 73 passengers in this carriage, 8 lost their lives and 34
were injured.
The driver and fireman in the locomotive, although badly shaken, were not
seriously injured.
With the locomotive and carriage 1 diverging from their correct course after
having derailed, the coupling between carriages 1 and 2 probably parted and,
although derailed itself for a short distance, carriage 2 proceeded generally
along its correct path. It passed to the north, or left hand side of carriage
1, tilted to its left and came to a halt hard up against the retaining wall of
the northern abutment, clear of the bridge on the eastern side. Although there
were injuries to some passengers and all had been severely shaken by the
incident, none of the 64 passengers in this carriage were seriously hurt.
The balance of the train remained on the rails and came to a stand with the
leading end of carriage 3 and the rear end of carriage 4 clear of the bridge,
and the rear and leading ends of carriages 3 and 4 respectively under the
bridge. Although the passengers in these cars had been affected by being
suddenly jolted to a halt there was no evidence of significant injuries when the
carriages came to a stop.
Unfortunately, however, demolition of the trestle of stanchions supporting the
deck of the bridge created a situation which the structure as it remained could
not support. After a few seconds the joint in the deck beams near the position
of trestle No. 2 gave way and, having no support, began to sag. As this took
place, the ends of the steel beams carrying the road surface of the bridge were
drawn off their seatings on the northern abutment and, once they had been
dragged clear, the northern span crashed onto those portions of carriages 3 and
4 beneath it. The northern end of the centre span remained connected to the
northern span and it too fell to the ground. The other end of the central span
continued to be supported on trestle No. 1 to the south and this remained
standing, although the stanchions were pulled forward by the mechanism of the
collapse and assumed a final position with their tops tilted towards the north.
The southern span remained in the air, but in a most precarious position. The
northward distortion of the top of the stanchions of trestle No. 1 had drawn the
whole span in that direction, to the extent that the southern end of the beams
almost came off their seatings on the southern abutment.
The calculated weight of the northern span of the bridge was approximately 250
tonnes and that of the central span approximately 320 tonnes. The effect of
this mass of steel and concrete falling onto portions of carriages 3 and 4 was
devastating. The roofs of the carriages were crushed in, the sides were burst
outwards and the height of the carriages from floor level reduced, in some
cases, to inches. The result was catastrophic. Of the 77 passengers in
carriage 3, 44 lost their lives, and of the 64 passengers in carriage 4, 31
suffered the same fate. In all, 83 passengers were killed or died of injuries
and 213 were injured, 31 of these being admitted to hospital.
There were several motor vehicles on the bridge at the time of collapse and,
although four of these fell or descended in one way or another with the bridge,
no person in them was injured.
In the seconds after the derailment and before the bridge collapsed alert
signalmen in the signal box west of the bridge had switched some 13 signals into
the "stop" position and had sounded the alarm, thus setting in motion with
remarkable rapidity a rescue operation of extraordinary size and complexity.
The recovery of those injured in carriages 3 and 4 under the huge slab of
concrete resting on those vehicles became the urgent aim of the rescue teams.
Police units, particularly the Police Rescue Squad, the Fire Brigade, Ambulance
services, emergency medical teams from nearby hospitals, railway workers, and
other voluntary workers all worked at this task. However, it being obvious that
there was no way of lifting the slab, the job of cutting it up into removable
pieces became the responsibility of the Department of Main Roads personnel using
jackhammers. These men, aided by the expert drivers of huge cranes operating
from the northern side of the bridge, worked continuously for 22 hours, often
under the spray of hoses as there was a danger of igniting escaping low pressure
gas from cylinders in the carriages, part of the train heating system.
Throughout the rescue operation there was a real danger that the rest of the
bridge would collapse on to the track and those working there. The bridge had
partly moved from its position at the southern abutment, while the centre
portion of it was at risk of moving in a lateral direction. Further movement
seemed decidedly likely. Steps were taken to remove the remaining part of the
bridge and these were successfully performed. Meanwhile those involved in the
attempts to remove injured passengers continued to work despite the possibility
of further collapse.
The last injured passenger was removed about ten hours after the accident. He,
unfortunately, did not survive. It was not until 3.20 p.m. the following day
that the last body was removed from the wreckage.
Extract from the Report on the formal investigation.
Any further questions?
-- David Johnson CityRail Guard trainman@ozemail.com.au http://www.ozemail.com.au/~trainman/