
Wheels to Disaster!
The Oxford Train Wreck of Christmas Eve 1874
The History Press Ltd
Published on 14. July 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-0-7524-4512-0 (ISBN)
Description
The development of railways in Britain came in the 1830s as a result of the needs of industry and of the public eager for the novelty and cheapness of rail travel. As the authors of Wheels to Disaster! explain, these early railways were beset by accidents caused by collisions and mechanical failure, and the 1870s produced more disasters than any other decade before or since. On Christmas Eve in 1874 the worst accident in the history of the GWR occurred at Shipton-on-Cherwell, several miles from Oxford, when the 10 a.m. from London Paddington to Birkenhead derailed, killing thirty-four passengers. The fracture of a single tyre was enough to cause this catastrophe due to the lack of continuous braking and inadequate communication between the driver and passengers. Using the accounts of eyewitnesses, archive newspaper articles and reports, Wheels to Disaster! tells the story of the worst incident in the history of the GWR.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Stroud
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 246 mm
Width: 170 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
567 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7524-4512-0 (9780752445120)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Dr Peter Lewis is an Open University senior lecturer in Engineering. He is the author of two previous books for Tempus, Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silvery Tay and Disaster on the Dee.Alistair Nisbet has written many articles for the railway press, such as Backtrack magazine, on historic railway accidents and related topics. He formerly worked for the MOD at Bicester.