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Rednal rail crash

1865 disasters in the United Kingdom1865 in England19th century in ShropshireDerailments in EnglandHistory of Shropshire
June 1865 eventsRail transport in ShropshireRailway accidents and incidents in ShropshireRailway accidents in 1865Use British English from January 2018

Rednal rail crash was a rail accident that occurred near Rednal station in Shropshire. On 7 June 1865 a permanent way (groundwork and rails) gang were lifting and packing the "up" line 600 yards (550 m) north of Rednal station on a 1 in 132 gradient that falls from Whittington. A green flag had been set 1,100 yards (1,000 m) away at the top of the incline as a warning. At 12:29 an excursion train from Birkenhead left Chester for Shrewsbury consisting of 28 coaches and two brake vans and hauled by two locomotives. An additional four coaches were added at Gobowen. When the train reached Whittington it began to gain speed on the gradient, but the driver of the front locomotive did not see the flag warning of the work ahead. The brakes were applied when the workmen were sighted, but it was too late to stop such a heavy train. The lead locomotive derailed on the unsupported track, but continued along the ballast until it reached points outside Rednal station where it ran off the rails and turned over. The extreme weight of the following train meant that the first four carriages were destroyed completely, killing 11 passengers and 2 train crew. The enquiry, while criticizing the lack of braking power on such a massive train, blamed mainly the inadequate protection of the permanent way work, which should be supplemented by detonators.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Rednal rail crash (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

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Latitude Longitude
N 52.8416 ° E -2.9614 °
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SY11 4HX , West Felton
England, United Kingdom
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Montgomery Canal
Montgomery Canal

The Montgomery Canal (Welsh: Camlas Trefaldwyn), known colloquially as "The Monty", is a partially restored canal in eastern Powys and northwest Shropshire. The canal runs 33 miles (53 km) from the Llangollen Canal at Frankton Junction to Newtown via Llanymynech and Welshpool and crosses the England–Wales border. Originally, the canal from Llanymynech to Newtown was known as the Montgomeryshire Canal. It was named after the county of Montgomeryshire that it ran through and it was divided into Western and Eastern branches which met at Garthmyl. At Carreghofa Locks near Llanymynech, the Montgomeryshire Canal connected to the Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal. These elements of the present-day Montgomery Canal were unified when they each became part of the Shropshire Union system: the Ellesmere Canal in 1846, the Eastern Branch in 1847 and the Western Branch in 1850. The canal fell into disuse following a breach in 1936 and was officially abandoned in 1944. With the revival of canal use in the late 20th century, the Western and Eastern branches of the Montgomeryshire Canal and the Llanymynech Branch of the Ellesmere Canal together became known as the Montgomery Canal although the canal does not, and never did, go to the town of Montgomery. At present only 7 miles (11 km) from Frankton Junction to Gronwen Wharf is navigable and connected to the rest of the national Canal & River Trust network. Separately, a short stretch at Llanymynech and a central section of the canal around Welshpool are also navigable though isolated from the national canal network. Ongoing restoration work continues to expand the navigable sections.