Author Description

First edition of this fascinating compilation of British railway disasters. The book traces the gradual development of various safety measures that have made railway travel safer, from time interval blocking and telegraphic train orders to CTC, the introduction of air brakes, track circuiting, personnel changes, and locomotive design and construction. The author uses several well-known disasters such as Abbots Ripton, Armagh, Hawes Junction and the Battersea and South Croyden collisions, as ways to analyze what has gone wrong, the measures that have been taken to prevent similar accidents, and how even full-designed safety systems can still sometimes fail. Illustrated with black and white photos. 170 pages.