Tragedy at Tebay: Episode 320

It was a dark, winters morning as the 10 men group carried out maintenance on the railway line near Tebay. The men wore their safety helmets to block out the noise of their machinery and there was no look-out as the line was closed in both directions. So when the 20 tonne wagon came hurtling down the track towards them at 40 miles per hour it was completely unexpected.

As one fellow worker put it, "This was the worst nightmare for any rail man - an un-manned wagon coming straight at you out of the pitch darkness." Four men were killed instantly that morning and others injured in the tragedy. Today, I tell their story.

Sources

• https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/archive/tebay-tragedy-court-session-24-03-2005/
• https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/5856470.rail-tragedy-victim-had-made-complaint/
• https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/7155039.sabotaged-rail-wagon-killed-four-court-told/
• https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/he-cut-costs-four-men-died-574429
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4816206.stm
• https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/you-never-said-sorry-greedy-2897271
• https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/4886375
• https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/7000299.rail-men-killed-20-tonnes-death/
• https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/675301.tebay-rail-workers-deny-manslaughter/
• https://www.commercialmotor.com/news/compliance/man-convicted-manslaughter-refused-o-licence?page=6
• https://morningstaronline.co.uk/a-b665-rail-union-marks-loss-of-workers-at-tebay-1
• https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/709471.tebay-rail-disaster-pair-jailed/
• https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/cowboy-operator-rhyl-convicted-manslaughter-12426689
• https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/rail-contractor-blamed-everyone-himself-2900167#
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4802584.stm