Posted: Tue 08 Jan, 2013 1:52 am
Have recently been busy scanning a lot of my old photos into the computer and came across several pictures of an incident just outside Leeds City station that many will recall and some may well have been delayed or had their travel plans ruined by.Thursday morning the 11th of November 1993 and, having worked the night shift as a shunter at Leeds, I had not been home long when the phone rang. It was my relief I had said goodbye to about a hour earlier who, knowing I was into railway photography, was calling to let me know of an accident on the West junction just outside the station, his words were, "better get your a**e in gear, get back down here and dont forget your camera" so I finished my brew, jumped in the car and headed back to work.As you can imagine when I arrived at the station there was total chaos as the only trains that could move were arriving from the East, the station was now completely full with trains backed up past Neville hill and heading back towards Cross Gates in the East and along all lines radiating out from the West, the powers that be were attempting to get buses in to get people moving but as it was morning rush hour they were not having much luck.A quick call into the Station masters office was made to let them know I was back on site and see if there was anything I could do to assist then into the shunters cabin to don a pair of hi-vis overalls and I set off walking up what was the old platform 1 over looking the P.C.D. where I spotted the morning pilot driver, ken shutting down and securing the pilot on the buffers in one of the P.C.D. shunt roads.Dropping down to track level I walked down into the P.C.D. and asked Ken "what's happening" to which he replied "well I won't be doing owt today lad" "the Blackpools hit the plymouth head on, jobs well and truely beggered" then he wandered off to, in best railway tradition, put the kettle on.The incoming Plymouth was a mail and parcel's train that was due in about 6am but often ran earlier if he could get a path from Birmingham, unfortunatly on this morning he was running about an hour late which meant my relief would have to sort and shunt the stock when he arrived, something that I had earlier been ribbing him about before going home that morning.Looking out onto the West junction I dont think I have ever seen so many people in Hi-vis vest and jackets milling around all looking at each other and generally passing the time of day, many of which wore expensive looking suits and very clean vests, along with two officers of the transport police.It transpired the Plymouth mail had been given the right of way to come of the holbeck line, crossing the entire West junction and drop down into the P.C.D. where my relief and the Ken the pilot driver were waiting paitently for its arrival.At the same time, the unit on the morning Blackpool had been allowed to leave the platform to draw up to the gantry protecting the West junction where he was to come to a stand at the red light on the gantry, common practice to allow the platform to be cleared and make room for another arrival.The driver was approaching the gantry when he saw a green signal and, applying power, began to accelerate towards the junction, just as the Plymouth appeared around the triangle and right into his path or, more correctly, he was now in the path of the Plymouth mail.What the driver of the Blackpool had actually seen was the signal for the line to his left that had cleared for a Sheffield train that was taking the line out past Holbeck and wasn't in conflict with the incoming mail.Both the Blackpool and the Plymouth drivers realised about the same time what was about to happen and both drivers made a full emergency brake application and, although it was too late to avoid a collision, this resulted in a relativly low speed accident - it was estimated closing speed was between twenty and twenty five M.P.H.Luckily there were no fatalities although several people on the Blackpool were injured due to being thrown from their seats etc but non were of a more serious nature.The accident effectivley closed the West end of the station for most of the day resulting in widespread chaos for the travelling public.