Glimpse the past through old images of Harrow & Wealdstone railway station in Greater London.
Rail Crash 1952
On 8 October 1952, during the morning rush hour, the Harrow & Wealdstone line at Wealdstone station suffered a major rail accident, when three trains collided.
112 people died, and 340 were injured.
The driver of an overnight express train from Perth, who died in the accident, had passed a caution signal and two danger signals before colliding with a local passenger train standing at a platform at the station.
A few seconds later, the derailed trains were hit by another express train, travelling at 60 miles per hour.
Here, the newsreel looks at the work of the rescue teams, including the United States Air Force men stationed at RAF South Ruislip, who rushed in with plasma to aid the injured.
There’s a curious moment when we see a lady in a uniform helping roll bandages – as a cigarrette hangs out her mouth.
Even the Minister of Transport comes to survey the scene.
The recue workers toiled through the night, trying to find anyone left in the carriages before they were removed.
By the next day, the lines started to repopen, beginning with the slow line at 5:32a.m.
Harrow Rail Crash (1952) – British Pathé on YouTube
