Frampton Mansell level crossing - fatal incidents, May 2014, Feb 2017 and Jan 2018

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Utterly minor compared to the loss of life ... but "Thank you" to GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) for ensuring that through services from the Stroud Valley to the TransWilts are still running south of Swindon.

[bobm]

With the same caveats that Graham posted with - it IS nice to note the trains are running.  However Journeycheck is showing..

Under Cancellations

17:40 Cheltenham Spa to Southampton Central due 20:44

17:40 Cheltenham Spa to Southampton Central due 20:44 will be cancelled.
This is due to a collision at a level crossing yesterday.

..and under Other Train Service Updates

18:48 Swindon to Southampton Central due 20:44

An additional train service has been planned to operate as shown 18:48 Swindon to Southampton Central due 20:44.
Will be formed of 1 coach.

Why not just show the 17:40 as starting from Swindon.

Also isn't there an issue with 153s running south of Westbury?

[grahame]

With the same caveats that Graham posted with - it IS nice to note the trains are running.  However Journeycheck is showing..

Earlier it was showing just a short run.  However, the switch to the 153 has probably resulted in it needing to be flagged up as a cancellation and new train.    At 18:48 from Swindon, capacity will be adequate - it's the two previous trains from Swindon (15:12 and 17:36) which are routinely full and standing when (almost always as yet) run by a 153.

153s are (or were) restricted south of Southampton due to tunnel clearance (but they can go to Eastleigh via Chandler's Ford).  There's also an issue with them through one of the platforms at Salisbury I believe, so the new train is 9O00 rather than 2O00 to remind the signallers that it's a bit special.

143s are not allowed south of Warminster - not that one's got there in a while!

[bobm]

Lines have now re-opened

From Journeycheck

Following a collision at a level crossing yesterday between Swindon and Gloucester all lines have now reopened.

Train services running through these stations may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.

Customer Advice
All lines have now reopened.
First trains planned to run will be:
15:36 London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa starting from Swindon
18:34 Cheltenham Spa to London Paddington.

Customers are advised to check back for updates.
Disruption to services could still however last until the end of the day due to train and staff displacement.

[grahame]

Postcript...

21:20 Southampton Central to Westbury due 22:26
21:20 Southampton Central to Westbury due 22:26 will be cancelled.
This is due to a collision at a level crossing yesterday.

Additional 21:20 Southampton Central to Westbury due 22:26 will be starting late at Southampton Central and is expected to be 1 minute late but is expected to be on time from Romsey.
Will be formed of 1 coach.
This is due to a problem currently under investigation.

[phile]

With the same caveats that Graham posted with - it IS nice to note the trains are running.  However Journeycheck is showing..

Earlier it was showing just a short run.  However, the switch to the 153 has probably resulted in it needing to be flagged up as a cancellation and new train.    At 18:48 from Swindon, capacity will be adequate - it's the two previous trains from Swindon (15:12 and 17:36) which are routinely full and standing when (almost always as yet) run by a 153.

153s are (or were) restricted south of Southampton due to tunnel clearance (but they can go to Eastleigh via Chandler's Ford).  There's also an issue with them through one of the platforms at Salisbury I believe, so the new train is 9O00 rather than 2O00 to remind the signallers that it's a bit special.

143s are not allowed south of Warminster - not that one's got there in a while!

That's right, Graham. 153s are barred from platform 3 at Salisbury  due to a foul up by Network Rail who, during Engineering Work, managed to make the route out of gauge.   They are supposed to be rectifying it at some time, but don't hold your breath.   Hence, the cancellation of the schedule and a new one as a Class 9 as a reminder to the signaller.

[JayMac]

It was reported on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Points West this evening that the person killed was the only authorised keyholder for the crossing's vehicle gates.

[grahame]

That's right, Graham. 153s are barred from platform 3 at Salisbury .

So a unit with odd numbers in its type (1 - 3 - 5) can only pick up or set down passengers at even numbered platforms at Salisbury (2 - 4 - 6) at present. Aren't numbers interesting!

[ellendune]

Picture in report from BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) shows that improvements have been made to the signs at the crossing since the last RAIB^▸ (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) report.

[grahame]

From the Stroud News and Journal

THE 60-year-old man who died at a level crossing in Frampton Mansell, has been named as Colin Cameron, from Stroud.

Colin Cameron, aged 60, died when his Land Rover was struck by a train at the crossing at around 3pm on Tuesday, February 7.

A post-mortem into Mr Cameron’s death yesterday (February 9) revealed he died from multiple injuries and a file is being prepared for the coroner.

[grahame]

Tributes to Colin Cameron who died in rail crossing accident, from Stroudco Food Hub on  Gloucestershire Live remind us that rail fatalities are not just statistics, they're real people.

I'll quote the first section of the article and urge you to click on the link above to read the rest.

We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragic death of one of the founders of Stroudco Food Hub. Colin was killed last Tuesday in a terrible accident on a rail crossing at his farm in Frampton Mansell.

Colin was one of the handful of producer members who helped to set up Stroudco in 2006. He produced beef and eggs on his smallholding at Viaduct Farm between Stroud and Cirencester. Not only was Colin a producer member he also did some of his shopping at Stroudco – being a great fan of the pork from Stroud Community Agriculture.

Colin built both of the Stroudco sheds – the first one at Parliament school (as was) and the current one at Stroud Valleys school. He was a fine craftsman and took great pride in constructing buildings to the highest quality.

Colin has also been a director of the Stroudco Community Interest Company right from the start until his tragic death. He will be greatly missed.

[continues]

[patch38]

http://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news/15822700.Driver_killed_on_level_crossing_had_all_clear_to_cross_the_tracks/

A Landrover driver who was killed when he was hit by a train on a level crossing had been given the all clear to drive over the track by a railway signalman, a coroner heard today.

Farmer Colin Cameron, 60, of Bisley rd, Stroud, Glos, died on February 7 last year as he used the  unmanned crossing at Frampton Mansell, nr Cirencester, Gloucestershire. One of his dogs also died.

Today Gloucestershire coroner Katie Skerrett held a pre-inquest hearing to discuss with lawyers what issues the jury will have to consider when the full inquest is held on a date to be fixed between April and June this year.

During today's hearing it emerged that Mr Cameron had stopped at the crossing and spoken on the phone to the nearest signalman.

He allegedly told the signalman that a train had passed by not long before. He was then allegedly told it was clear for him to drive across - but was then hit by an inter-city express and killed.

The coroner said it appeared to her that the key issues for the jury would be what Mr Cameron told the signalman about a train having passed recently and the signalman's reliance on that information when giving the go ahead to cross.

Barrister Sarah Le Fevre, representing Mr Cameron's family, told the coroner "Users (of the crossing) cannot be left to their own devices and are necessarily reliant on instructions given by Network Rail's signaller.

"There were three pieces of information which were available to the signaller or should have been available to him.

"If he had applied them he would have known that there was a train in the immediate approach to the crossing.

"One of those pieces of information was that the train itself had stopped at a red signal and had restarted upon the permission of this same signal box.

"That train could not have travelled that distance before Colin got there and asked for permission to cross.

"Secondly, there are two different light systems in the signal box, a red light system and a white light system. The red light system was working and it showed the signaller which bit of track the train was within.  It would have shown that the train which hit Colin was within a relatively short section of railway that took 4 minutes to traverse from one end to the other.

"That information was known in the signal box.

"The white light system was out of action at the time of the accident. It was repaired immediately after the accident.

"It would have shown the signaller whether the train was in or not in the Sapperton Long Tunnel, from which it comes out just 30 yards before this crossing.

"We say that there were three pieces of information that either were or could and should have been available to the signaller so as to properly inform Colin that it would not be safe for him to cross when the instruction was given for him to cross.

"He would have had information that would have told him (the signalman) for sure that there was a train coming."

The coroner said "We will have to focus on what was said between Colin and the signalman; what Colin said from his point of view.

"Also, we will look at the issue of what information was available to the signaller. And also the appropriateness of the signaller's response.

"Was it appropriate for him to be relying on information provided by the user, Colin."

The coroner also discussed with Ms Le Fevre and Network Rail's lawyer, Richard Crockford, what witnesses should be called to give evidence at the inquest.

She said that while it is not mandatory for her to empanel a jury to hear the case she had decided to do so. Ms Le Febre had submitted that a jury would be mandatory because the death occurred in a working environment.

The coroner stressede that the inquest would not be considering the safety or otherwise of such crossings in general. It would focus on the specific incident that day.

Witnesses would include the train driver and also Katie Rowan, who had been a passenger in Mr Cameron's vehicle but was standing outside it when the accident happened, she said.

A post-mortem into Mr Cameron's death has revealed he died from multiple injuries.

After the tragedy the vice chairman of Sapperton and Frampton Mansell parish council Charles Houldsworth called for extra safety precautions at the crossing.

Following the death of motorcyclist Paul Martin in 2014 safety recommendations made by investigators were put into operation but Mr Houldsworth says more is needed to prevent further tragedies.

At today's hearing Mr Crockford told the coroner that the crossing is one of many of its kind that Network Rail would like to close if legally possible.

Such unmanned crossings were installed in the mid 19th century to preserve the rights of way across the railway when it was being built, he said.

The Sapperton crossing had been used for a trial of a new system whereby there would be a red light showing on the crossing at all times and a driver would have to get out and press a button,whereupon the light would turn green if it was safe to cross, he said.

However, that had not been adopted because it was 'found not to have the safety integrity required.'

[Chris from Nailsea]

There has now been another fatal incident at this crossing, sadly. 

I'm quoting selectively from the log:

2G83 has reported striking a person just after Frampton Mansell UWC^▸ (User Worked Crossing)
...
2G83 has reported the person was hit at Frampton Mansell footpath crossing
40 passengers on 2G83 including two doctors and a off duty Police Officer
The driver has been checked over by one of the Doctors
...
Declared non-suspicious deliberate act at 1340hrs
...

As ever, our thoughts are with the train driver, crew and emergency services who have to deal with such incidents - and with the family and friends of the deceased.

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the Stroud News & Journal:

UPDATED: Woman hit by train near Frampton Mansell

Transport police have confirmed that a woman died after being hit a train near Frampton Mansell yesterday lunchtime.

British Transport Police responded to a report that a woman had been hit by a train at 12.37pm yesterday afternoon.

Local police and ambulance crews also attended, but the casualty was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigating officers are not treating the death as suspicious and a file is currently being prepared for the coroner.

First Great Western reported severe delays and cancellations following the incident.

One woman who contacted the SNJ from another stationery train on the line described the situation as "heartbreaking".

The incident occured nearly one year after Colin Cameron died when his Land Rover was hit by a train on a railway crossing at Frampton Mansell.

[grahame]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-48597939

A man died when his vehicle was hit by an express train on a level crossing after he gave "incorrect information" to a signalman, an inquest heard.

Colin Cameron's Land Rover was struck by the London Paddington to Cheltenham Spa service at Frampton Mansell, near Stroud, in February 2017.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded by the jury.