"In there we met a senior officer who asked us to get into the roof of a carriage. The back wall of the tunnel was painted white and a large, heavy-duty buffer preceded the sand drag. When tested, all of the trains vital components and systems were working as intended. It is considered the worst peacetime accident on the London Underground. [35] To make a clear passage through the wreckage for equipment, the emergency services and injured commuters, a circular route was organised through the carriages. It took 13 hours after the crash to remove the last of the 74 injured passengers from the scene. The rescue operation took almost a week to complete and consisted of over 1600 emergency personnel. Donald Dean and a team of two doctors and two nurses walked around to the station to assist, and were the first medical assistance at the scene. [9] Weekly checks were made on the stock's brakes, doors and compressors; all equipment on the train was examined on a six-week basis and the cars were lifted from their bogies for a thorough examination once a year. The sights, smells and carnage I will never be able to forget, but I, along with others, will always be proud to say that I played a small part in a major rescue and recovery incident. Harrowing photos from London Underground crash at Moorgate station 47 2023 Getty Images. The third car was damaged at both ends, more significantly at the leading end as it rode over the second. Apart from suicides, there were only 14 deaths on the Underground between 1938 and 1975, 12 of which occurred in the 1953 Stratford crash. It was crushed from 16 metres long to just 6.1 metres. [70] On the final day of the inquiry, Roy Goulding, a specialist in the forensic examination of poisons, stated that while he reached the same results of 80mg/100ml, his conclusions differed from Robinson's; Goulding stated that as alcohol was naturally produced in the blood after death, it was not possible to confirm that Newson had been drinking prior to the crash. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. These showed that because of the station lighting, it was impossible to clearly see the driver's eyes. Emergency services worked for 13 hours to removed injured people from the wreckage and the clean up and removal of dead bodies went on for four days after. [2][3] The Tube was one of the safest methods of transport in Britain in 1975. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Select from premium Moorgate Tube Crash of the highest quality. Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. It was all over in no time.". This became known informally as Moorgate protection. 240 police officers were involved in the rescue, Extensive investigations found no mechanical fault with the train, track or signalling, Firefighters had to squeeze through tiny gaps, New rules on the Tube lines were introduced following the disaster. [37], Platform 9 was 21 metres (70ft) underground, and fire and ambulance crews had to carry all the equipment they needed through the station and down to the scene of the accident. [63] McNaughton's inquiry began on 13 March and was paused after a day and a half; during that time it was established that the mechanics of the train were in working order and that there were no known problems with Newson's health, although the results of pathological tests were still awaited. BBC News, "The Role of Hospital Medical Teams at a Major Accident", "Moorgate Tube Train Disaster: Part I: Response of Medical Services", "Dead Sober or Dead Drunk? A Brief History of: The Moorgate Tube Train Crash 1975 (Documentary) Investigators said that he maintained his muscle tone and balance throughout the approach. [12] Newson was known by his colleagues as a careful and conscientious motorman (driver). He found no physical conditions, such as a stroke or heart attack, that would have explained the crash. [49] Those working on the platform or tunnel were restricted to 20-minute spells working, followed by 40minutes' recovery time on the surface. Before his shift began he had a cup of tea and shared his sugar with a colleague; he jokingly said to the colleague "Go easy on it, I shall want another cup when I come off duty". To this day, the family and friends of the victims still suffer from the tragedy and the mysterious circumstances of that horrifying moment, and the debate about what may have happened continues. Steve made his way through a two foot gap between the tunnel wall and the side of the train. Some witnesses also believed that it was accelerating. Prints & Wall Art Photo Books He appeared calm and sat upright as he looked directly ahead as if he was unaware that he was passing through a scheduled stop when the train collided with the barrier. Moorgate tube crash - Wikipedia Why did whatever happen, happen? Steve said: "A crew from Clapham had already cut a hole in the end of the train carriage and we used that to go through to the next carriage. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. Find the perfect moorgate train crash stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. The crash forced the first carriage into the roof of the tunnel at the front and back, but the middle remained on the trackbed; the 16-metre-long (52ft) coach was crushed to 6.1 metres (20ft). [60], Services on the line had been suspended on the day of the crash. The few people that knew him insisted that he was cautious when at work and followed the rulebook. The most mysterious fact surrounding the crash came from two rail workers who were on the platform when Train 272 arrived. The force of the impact crushed the first two and a half cars of the train into half their proper lengths. Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. [19] Witnesses standing on the platform saw Newson sitting upright and facing forward, his uniform neat and still wearing his hat; his hands appeared to be on the train's controls as far as they could tell.[20]. In July 1978, approval was given for Moorgate protection, Moorgate control or Trains Entering Terminal Stations (TETS) to be introduced at all dead-end termini on manually driven lines on the Underground system. However, when rescuers pulled him out of the wreckage four days after the crash, there were no indications that he had done anything to prevent injury to himself. Find the perfect moorgate crash black & white image. [8], From November 1966 the Northern City Line ran 1938 rolling stock. 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They ascertained that Newson was at his controls, although his head had been forced through the front window. Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. [84], When platform 9 reopened there had been changes introduced to aid drivers. Train 272 plowed on through this design and collided with buffers before striking the solid concrete wall beyond. From X-rays it was clear that at the moment of the crash Newson's hand was on the dead man's handle. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moorgate_tube_crash&oldid=1142152045, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 20:08. HGV driver tries to warn motorist moments before crash 1 users rated this 4 out of 5 stars 1. Over the years, the London Underground, or the Tube as commuters prefer to call it these days, has expanded to cover the whole of London and selected parts of the Home Counties. English: Moorgate station is a London Underground and mainline station in the City of London, located on Moorgate, the street of the same name, north of w:London Wall. Robinson stated that there were several biological processes that produced alcohol in the body after death, and it was not possible to reach a definite conclusion as to whether this was the result of consumption of alcohol or a product of the process of decomposition. It took 13 hours to remove the injured, many of whom had to be cut free from the wreckage. A passenger waiting to take the return journey stated that Newson appeared "to be staring straight ahead and to be somewhat larger than life". A Net Inceptions project. Moorgate crash hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy By the time it made an approach to Moorgate Station, there were 300 passengers on board. Accept Read More, Terrifying Letters: The Watcher House of Westfield, NJ. Get in touch ian.molyneaux@reachplc.com. Tap into Getty Images global-scale, data-driven insights and network of over 340,000creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Measuring 1.2 by 0.9 metres (4ft 3ft), it was unveiled in July 2013 after a long campaign by relatives of the victims and supporters. There were no faults found in the subsequent inquiry with the train and officials concluded that the crash was caused by the 56-year-old driver, Leslie Newson, who died on impact. As he advanced past the first carriage, Steve found crews had already started working to release people trapped in the wreckage. The depth at which they were operating, and the shielding effect of the soil and concrete, meant their radios could not get through to the surface. After the crash, Chief Fire Officer, Joseph Milner, paid tribute to "my 1,000 selfless heroes". "As we were taking our gear down, firefighters were guiding casualties, covered in dust and grime, up the other escalators to safety, as well as to grab more equipment." 2023 Getty Images. Want more from MyLondon? It was still under power and no brakes were applied; it passed through the station at 3040mph (4864km/h). 53 Moorgate Underground Rail Crash Premium High Res Photos Select from premium Moorgate Underground Rail Crash of the highest quality. A memorial has been unveiled for the 43 people who died in the Moorgate Tube crash in 1975. 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In 1978, engineers put in a new protection system that would apply brakes to an oncoming train if the driver failed to do so. Select from premium Moorgate Tube Crash of the highest quality. [33], By around 9:00am the last casualty had been removed from the third carriage. Tap into Getty Images global-scale, data-driven insights and network of over 340,000creators to create content exclusively for your brand. Select from premium Moorgate Tube Crash of the highest quality. The last of the 43 fatalities removed from the scene was the trains driver, a 56-year old father of two, Leslie Newson. Interesting history topics are just a click away. All workers had to wear gloves and masks; any cuts had to be reported, and no-one with a cut was allowed to be involved in the extrication of a body. The second carriage was concertinaed at the front as it collided with the first, and the third rode over the rear of the second. This tragic. [57], Newson's body was removed at 8:05pm on 4 March;[58] the Fire Brigade cleared the remainder of the wreckage by 5:00am on 5 March and handed control of the platform back to London Underground. [80] Medical evidence presented to the inquiry raised the possibility that the driver had been affected by conditions such as transient global amnesia or akinesis with mutism, where the brain continues to function and the individual remains aware, although not being able to move physically. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. The Moorgate train crash took place on February 28, 1975, at 8:46 am on the London Undergrounds Northern City Line. After long campaigns from surviving relatives of the casualties, two memorials have been unveiled at Moorgate. London Fire Brigade. At 8.46am, the tube failed to stop at the southern terminus and collided with the wall, crushing its carriages. With no casualties remaining, the Fire Brigade were able to use flame cutting equipment. The brakes were not applied and the dead man's handle was still depressed when the train crashed. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. [86], Since the death of a driver in 1971, when an empty stock train crashed into buffers in a tunnel siding near Tooting Broadway, London Underground had been introducing speed controls at such locations. The second car had lodged beneath the first, while the third had traveled over the second and collided with the first into a mangled mess. She was finally removed from the wreckage after the procedure at 8.55pm; Benton was removed at 10:00pm. [23] Javier Gonzalez, a passenger who was travelling in the front carriage, described the moment the train crashed: Just above my newspaper I saw a lady sitting opposite me and then the lights went out. On February 28, 1975, the Moorgate train crash occurred inside a tunnel just outside the station during the morning rush hour and became London Undergrounds worst peacetime disaster. Moorgate crash Black and White Stock Photos & Images - Alamy You May Also Like: Five Strange Trains Around the World. Investigators understood the mechanism by which the Moorgate train crash occurred. In the deep lines at Moorgate, ventilation is produced by the piston effect, created by trains forcing air through the tube lines.