‘Railway tragedy’ was sadly a common heading in old newspapers. Anything to do with the railways was an incredibly dangerous occupation. Though unlike mining, the tragedies were mostly individuals rather than multiple casualties.
Here are just two, taken from the memorial inscriptions at Beacon Edge Cemetery, Penrith
Railway tragedy in 1885
Thomas DALTON was killed at Cockermouth Junction, on December 14, 1885.
Thomas Dalton was working for the C K & Penrith Railway as a train firemen (ie stoker), a physically tough job, shovelling in coal to keep the boiler working and the steam powering the engine. Between journeys, he was part of the team keeping the engine clean and operations.
On the fateful day, he’d been on a goods train that went from Penrith to Cockermouth.
The Cumberland and Westmorland Advertiser says he was removing some paraffin oil casks from a waggon while his train was shunting. He seems to have slipped and fallen into the in the way of of some of the waggons of his train, and was knocked down. Two of the waggons ran over him.
He died of his injuries just a couple of minutes later.
The inquest verdict was Accidental Death. The jury gave their fee to his widow.
Thomas Dalton was 33 years old and left a wife, Isabella.
With the names being common, and the tragedy occurring between censuses, I couldn’t find more about either of them.
Railway tragedy in 1916.
Thomas BARNETT was accidentally killed on June 10, 1916.
Thomas Barnett was a platelayer on the London and North-Western Railway. You can find out what that role entailed here:
According to the Penrith Observer, it all followed from an accident to a goods train as it was descending Shap fells late at night. It resulted in damage to Clifton and Lowther Station, and also to the track. During the emergency repair work that followed, the upline was closed, meaning that trains in both directions had to use the downline.
Thomas Barnett wasn’t part of the repair crews. He knew of the accident, but he didn’t know about the upline being closed.
He was walking to work and had reached at Bessygill, not far from Clifton station. when he was hit by an express train (from Crewe to Carlisle) travelling ‘the wrong way’.
The inquest heard there was a sharp curve in the track before that point and although the train crewe had sounded the whistle as a matter of course, but it had been too late for Mr Barnett, who they hadn’t been able to see because of the curve.
The inquest verdict was again Accidental Death. The jury also gave their fee to his widow.
Thomas Barnett lived at Barrock Cottage, Little Strickland. He was 40, and married with eight young children.
His wife was called Wilhemina. She was née Hodgson and they had married in 1901. Their children in 1911 were Olive 9, Stanley 7, Thomas 5, Sydney 4, Wilhelmina 2, and Agnes, two months.
By the time of the railway tragedy, they also had Elizabeth, two, and a baby called James, who was just a few months old.
In 1921, she was living in Stainton. The four younger children were still living with her. The ‘marriage or orphanhood’ column has the sad words ‘widow’ for her, and then ‘father dead’ four times. In 1939, she, Elizabeth and James show up in Penrith, with Elizabeth recorded as a domestic servant and James as a farm labourer.
A death notice in the Penrith Observer says he was to be buried at Little Strickland. His name is recorded on a headstone at Beacon Edge:
Thomas BARNETT accidentally killed 10th June 1916, 40 years.
Wilhelmina his wife died 20th September 1943, 70 years.
James their son died at Crown Terrace 1st October 1971.