Cause of world-famous Flying Scotsman loco crash in Aviemore is revealed
The world famous Flying Scotsman crash in Aviemore was caused because the driver was not aware of how close the carriages were to the loco on the railway line and no-one else was looking out for danger in the cab.
The RAIB (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) has just released its official report into the collision on the Strathspey Railway line which occurred on September 29, last year.
The rail authority has issued one recommendation to the operators of the steam railway on ‘abnormal visits’ in the wake of the probe.
The report describes the management of the prestigious visit of the Flying Scotsman - once the world’s fastest steam engine - as being ‘ineffective’.
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The crash occurred at 7mph at the Aviemore station of the heritage railway when the driver did not control the speed of the Flying Scotsman correctly when the Royal Scotsman carriages were to be coupled.
Inspectors said another main contributing factor was that no-one in the cab warned the driver of the imminent danger.
The RAIB state in their findings: “At 6.05pm on Friday 29 September 2023, the steam locomotive Flying Scotsman, travelling tender first, collided with the Royal Scotsman coaches on the approach to platform 3 at Aviemore station on the Strathspey Railway.
“These coaches, which normally operate on the mainline railway, were due to be hauled on the Strathspey Railway by Flying Scotsman as part of a planned movement to Boat of Garten station.
“The collision occurred at 7 mph (11 km/h) during a move in preparation for the coupling of the locomotive to the coaches.
“Two people in the coaches were taken to hospital as a consequence of the accident.
“The collision also caused minor damage to the locomotive tender and damage to the coaches involved which were taken out of service.
“The collision occurred because the driver was not aware of the proximity of the locomotive to the coaches and so did not control its speed accordingly.
“This was due to the driver’s view of the track ahead being limited and because, immediately before the collision, no-one in the cab warned the driver that the locomotive was approaching the coaches.
“The driver’s expectation, based on previous experience, was that the coaches would be located further away from the approaching locomotive.
“The Strathspey Railway Company’s ineffective management of the visit of the locomotive to the railway was identified as an underlying factor.”
The RAIB has made one recommendation in the 39 page report and identified two learning points following the crash which made national headlines.
It has demanded that in the future the Strathspey Railway Company reviews the arrangements for foreseeable abnormal operations such as visiting railway vehicles and special events, to ensure that the risks are identified, assessed and mitigated.
RAIB two learning points for the railway and wider industry are firstly a reminder of the importance of train crew maintaining an effective lookout while driving on a line-of-sight basis and knowing who is responsible for maintaining that lookout.
The second is the importance of complying with rules regarding the number of people in a locomotive cab and ensuring that roles during movements are clearly understood.
A Strathspey Railway Company said: "The Strathspey Railway has fully engaged with the investigation carried out by the RAIB and accepts the findings of the report.
“The learning points in the report have already been addressed and work to deliver the intent of the one recommendation is in hand.”
The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety.
The RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
Why is the Flying Scotsman so famous?
The Flying Scotsman is often described as the world's most famous steam locomotive.
It set two world records for steam traction, becoming the first locomotive to reach the officially authenticated speed of 100 miles per hour (161 km/h) on 30 November 1934.
The loco also set the longest non-stop run of a steam locomotive of 422 miles (679 km) on 8 August 1989 while on tour in Australia.
