It's a big Universe full of wonders. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. They looked saw Newson sitting in the driver's seat. "Signals Passed at Danger on London Underground". He typically slowed his train down inside a tunnel and coasted into the station. Select from premium Moorgate Tube Crash of the highest quality. The Getty Images design is a trademark of Getty Images. As the exit from platform 9 was next to the overrun tunnel, the first two carriages were more popular with commuters and more full than the remaining four. [1] The first line opened in 1863 and by 1975 the network contained 250 miles (400km) of route track; that year three million people used the service each day. On February 28, 1975, a Northern City line train crashed into the end of the line wall at Moorgate in what would become the worst peacetime accident on the London Underground. At 8:38 that morning, a Northern Line train, number 272, departed from Drayton Park a single minute late. [12] Newson was known by his colleagues as a careful and conscientious motorman (driver). Grow your brand authentically by sharing brand content with the internets creators. [60][72], McNaughton published his report almost a year later, on 4 March 1976. Find Moorgate Underground Rail Crash stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Previously it had always been standard policy for the last signal indication before a buffer-stop or bay platform to indicate "clear" (green) light to the train driver and "caution" (single-yellow) light if the platform was partly occupied. Tests showed that Newson had a blood alcohol level of 80mg/100 mlthe level at which one can be prosecuted for drink-drivingthough the alcohol may have been produced by the natural decomposition process over four days at a high temperature. He recalls: "When the decision was made, I was ordered to place myself between the tunnel wall and the train and support her while the surgeons carried out their procedure. Save up to 30% when you upgrade to an image pack. [22] The second coach was forced under the rear of the first, which buckled at three points into the shape of a V with a tail, and had its rear forced into the tunnel roof. [84], When platform 9 reopened there had been changes introduced to aid drivers. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. On February 28, 1975, the Moorgate train crash occurred inside a tunnel just outside the station during the morning rush hour and became London Undergrounds worst peacetime disaster. A small assessment team comprising a casualty officer and a medical student was sent from the hospital; 15 minutes later a resuscitation unit was sent, although the hospital staff were still unaware of the scale of the problem. The report couldn't establish whether "his behaviour was deliberate or whether it was the result of a suddenly arising physical condition". Whether his behaviour was deliberate or whether it was the result of a suddenly arising physical condition not revealed as a result of post-mortem examination, there is not sufficient evidence to examine, but I am satisfied that no part of the responsibility for the accident rests with any other person and that there was no fault or condition of the train, track or signalling that in any way contributed to it. Why did whatever happen, happen? In the aftermath of the crash, a couple of curious facts about Newson came to light. The first 15 seats of the carriage were crushed into 0.61 metres (2ft). [70] On the final day of the inquiry, Roy Goulding, a specialist in the forensic examination of poisons, stated that while he reached the same results of 80mg/100ml, his conclusions differed from Robinson's; Goulding stated that as alcohol was naturally produced in the blood after death, it was not possible to confirm that Newson had been drinking prior to the crash. [48], Work on removing the bodies and clearing the wreckage from the tunnel began after the last casualty had been removed. The illness is incurable and. Temperatures in the tunnel reached 33C and there was a risk of heat exhaustion as the firefighters worked under dark and dusty conditions with old style box lamps for light. [87], This accident also led to changes in signalling. The first car had wedged itself into the roof of the tunnel. [96] In 2009 the BBC Radio 4 programme In Living Memory examined the causes of the crash,[97][98] and in 2015 Real Lives Reunited, aired on BBC One, recorded survivors meeting the firemen who cut them from the wreckage. London, UK ID: G2Y1XY (RM) One of the key areas of the entire network is Kings Cross, the scene of a devastating fire in late 1987. [99], Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}513106N 00519W / 51.5182N 0.0886W / 51.5182; -0.0886. The last of the 43 fatalities removed from the scene was the trains driver, a 56-year old father of two, Leslie Newson. They all wanted to stay and help the casualties they were with. In the deep lines at Moorgate, ventilation is produced by the piston effect, created by trains forcing air through the tube lines. Organise, control, distribute, and measure all of your digital content. Theories include suicide, he was distracted, or that Newson was affected by transient global amnesia or akinesis with mutism leaving him unable to move. Newson used the notebook to record how to deal with train defects, and notes on how to be a better driver. [47] Benton also died of crush syndrome, in hospital on 27 March 1975, despite initially good progress. The most mysterious fact surrounding the crash came from two rail workers who were on the platform when Train 272 arrived. SourcesNational ArchivesRail MagazineBBC On This Day. EDDIE BRAZIL looks at the case. The dead man's handle must have continual downward pressure applied to it to run. The Moorgate tube crash occurred on 28 February 1975 at 8:46am on the London Underground's Northern City Line; 43 people died and 74 were injured after a train failed to stop at the line's southern terminus, Moorgate station, and crashed into its end wall. . [52] The last passenger was removed from the front carriage at 3:20pm on 4 March, which left only the driver's body. "In there we met a senior officer who asked us to get into the roof of a carriage. [46] During the day mouth-to-mouth resuscitation had been needed to save two people, and two victims died of crush syndrome soon after being released from the wreckage. [92][93] On 28 February 2014 a memorial plaque was unveiled by Fiona Woolf, the Lord Mayor of London, on the side of the station building, in Moor Place. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. After an inquiry, the accident was blamed on the driver who died in the crash. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. [2][3] The Tube was one of the safest methods of transport in Britain in 1975. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. Donald Dean and a team of two doctors and two nurses walked around to the station to assist, and were the first medical assistance at the scene. Steve recalled meeting a scene of devastation at the Northern line station with twisted metal and access to those injured being near impossible. English: Moorgate station is a London Underground and mainline station in the City of London, located on Moorgate, the street of the same name, north of w:London Wall. Sixty-one witnesses gave evidence. London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and City of London Police attended. Forty three people were killed and 74 were injured. Newson was the last body to be extracted and firefighters found his cab, which is usually 91 centimetres deep, had been crushed to just 15 centimetres. When all was said and done, the Moorgate Tube Crash had left 43 dead and 74 injured, making it the worst peacetime accident in the history of the London Underground, which at the time typically smoothly serviced 3 million people a day with few accidents and was considered one of the safest forms of transportation around. [2], Moorgate station, in the City of London, was the terminus at the southern end of the Northern City Line, five stops and 2.6 miles (4.2km) from the northern end at Drayton Park. At around 6pm Frank Nice, a firefighter at Paddington red watch, took over the rescue operation where he was ordered to the front of the train to assist with the rescue of Jeffrey Benton, 27, and Margaret Liles, a 19-year-old police officer. Collect, curate and comment on your files. It was only during the 1890s that the entire system switched to electricity and became the clean and environmentally friendly travel that commuters have become accustomed to in many major cities across the world. [44], The use of the flame cutting equipment had a detrimental effect on the atmosphere on the platform. He said: "We quickly began to get an idea of the size of the incident but we didn't really know what to expect until we got to the platform. Shouts were made for any people trapped to respond; there were no responses and the site medical officer declared that all the remaining bodies in the wreckage were dead. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. [95] The writer Laurence Marks, whose father died in the disaster, presented Me, My Dad and Moorgate, a Channel 4 documentary broadcast on 4 June 2006; he stated that he believed the crash was due to suicide by Newson. [17], After the train departed Old Street on its 56-second journey to Moorgate, Harris was bored and left his position at the guard's control panelwhich contained the controls for the emergency brakeat the front of the rear carriage and walked to the back of the train to look for a newspaper. Moorgate tube crash hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy Moorgate tube crash Stock Photos and Images (135) See moorgate tube crash stock video clips Quick filters: Black & white Page 1 of 2 moorgate tube crash 1975 RF 2JKXG9T - Moorgate Tube Disaster memorial plaque outside Moorgate Station London. He found no physical conditions, such as a stroke or heart attack, that would have explained the crash. It was also likely that Newson would have realised his circumstances before the train hit the wall, and would have thrown his hands up in front of his face in a reflex action. [b] According to staff on duty his behaviour appeared normal. [40] The lamps and cutting gear used by the fire brigade raised the temperature to over 49C (120F) and oxygen levels began to drop. All workers had to wear gloves and masks; any cuts had to be reported, and no-one with a cut was allowed to be involved in the extrication of a body. The aftermath of a tube train crash at Moorgate underground station in London, February 1975. The Department of the Environment conducted an inquiry into the crash and determined that there was nothing mechanically wrong with the train. Joining the firemen, police, and ambulance crews were 16 doctors and scores of volunteers and helpers. It is considered the worst peacetime accident on the London Underground. Sadly, 74 people were badly injured and 43 people lost their lives. [49] Those working on the platform or tunnel were restricted to 20-minute spells working, followed by 40minutes' recovery time on the surface. A buffer stop, which had once been hydraulic, but had not been functioning as such for some time prior to the crash, was at the end of the tunnel, in front of a solid wall. Unearthed photos show the devastating aftermath of the Moorgate tube crash. Operating instructions were changed so that the protecting signal at terminal platforms was held at danger until trains approaching were travelling slowly, or had been brought to a stop, although this caused delays and operating problems. [63] McNaughton's inquiry began on 13 March and was paused after a day and a half; during that time it was established that the mechanics of the train were in working order and that there were no known problems with Newson's health, although the results of pathological tests were still awaited.