Quintinshill rail disaster 22 May 1915

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soldiers from 1/7th (Leith) Battalion the Royal Scots travelled from Lambert on a Liverpool bound troop-train.Their final destination was to be Gallipoli.

500LARBERT

LIVERPOOL

22 MAY 1915, 4AM

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LARBERT

GRETNA

LIVERPOOL

22 MAY 1915, 6.40AM

QUINTINSHILL NR. GRETNA

80MPH

TRAIN SPEED

The troop- train collides head on with a stationary local passenger train that had been shunted onto the opposite running line (the up line) to let an express train, following on the down line, through.

50MPH

AFTER IMPACT EUSTON TO

GLASGOW EXPRESSTRAIN COLLIDED

INTO WRECKAGE ATSECONDS 30

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22 MAY 1915, THE AFTERMATH

195 61METRES OF TRAIN COMPRESSED INTO JUST

IT WAS ESTIMATED AFTERWARDS THAT

Gas from the lighting system of the troop-train ignited, starting a fire engulfed the three passenger trains and also two goods trains standing on nearby passing loops

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THE FACTS

60ONLY SOILDERS

MADE IT TO ROLL CALL THE NEXT DAY

PEOPLE DIED226

246INJURED

TRAINS INVOLVED CARRIAGES21 5

TRAGICALLY, AMONG THE COFFINS WERE FOUR LITTLE BODIES, BELIEVED TO BE STOWAWAY CHILDREN, WHO WERE NEVER IDENTIFIED

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100 YEARS ON

REMAINS TO THIS DAY, BRITAIN’S WORST RAILWAY DISASTER