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On the night of 23 August 1963, a mail train led by a C38 locomotive collided with a goods train led by an AD60 locomotive, near the town of Geurie, between Dubbo and Orange in New South Wales. The collision occurred due to a signal failure and a misjudgment of the goods train's position in the loop, resulting in an impact at an estimated speed of 32 kilometres per hour (20 mph).
| Geurie crossing loop collision | |
|---|---|
  Location in New South Wales | |
| Details | |
| Date | 23 August 1963 9 pm |
| Location | Geurie, Central West region, New South Wales |
| Coordinates | 32°23′46″S 148°49′40″E / 32.396101°S 148.827662°E |
| Country | Australia |
| Line | Main Western railway line |
| Operator | NSWGR |
| Incident type | Collision |
| Cause | Signal failure |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Passengers | 110 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 19 |
| Damage | Both engines withdrawn due to damage |
The crash derailed the C38 locomotive and three carriages of the Mail train, forced the AD60 Garratt locomotive into the side of a grain silo, and damaged approximately 60 metres (200 ft) of track, closing the line for three days. Nineteen passengers were injured, though there were no fatalities. Due to the extent of the damage and the decline of steam traction at the time, neither locomotive returned to service.
Events
editThe Sydney-bound Bourke Mail train, with 110 passengers, was steaming towards Geurie station. The locomotive was C38 Pacific steam engine, 3817. Standing in the loop, beside a grain silo, was a goods train, hauled by a 265-tonne (292-short-ton) Beyer-Garratt AD60 class locomotive 6003. It was refuged so as to cross the Mail train.[1][2]
The length from the front of the Garratt locomotive to the driver's position contributed to a misjudgment of standing clear of the mainline. 3817 collided with the Garratt locomotive at an estimated speed of 32 kilometres per hour (20 mph).[1]
The fouling point, as was common practice at the time, was marked by a white lamp on a white post located quite close to the actual fouling point. The points at the entrance to the loop were operated by a ground frame and interlocked with signals using annett keys. There were no track circuits over the points which might have detected the foul locomotive and thus held the home signal at "red" and thus stopped the mail train short of the obstruction.
The impact of the two locomotives colliding forced the Garratt into the side of the silo and reared up its boiler section on to its leading water unit. 3817 was derailed and pushed over on to its side. Three carriages of the Mail train were also derailed. The collision damaged approximately 60 metres (200 ft) of track on the main line and loop and the line was not reopened for another three days.[1]
Damages
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References
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 Pearce, Kenn (1999). Australian Railway Disasters. Davidson: IPL Books. ISBN 0-908876-09-2.
- ↑ Crosby, Heather (24 August 2013). "Geurie crash still vivid in minds of survivors after 50 years". Daily Liberal. Retrieved 3 March 2017.