ScotRail Express Polmont Rail Crash 30 July 1984

The Polmont rail accident occurred on 30 July 1984 at Polmont, near Falkirk, Scotland, when an Push-Pull ScotRail Class 47/7 express train from Edinburgh to Glasgow, travelling at high speed,DBSO leading struck a cow which had wandered onto the track near Polmont station. Several of the carriages were derailed, resulting in 13 deaths and 61 injuries. The accident led to a debate about the safety of push-pull trains on British Rail.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• ScotRail
• Polmont
• Rail
• Crash
• 30
• July
• 1984
• DBSO

[Middenraker]

Actually guys there have ben three serious accidents onthe UK rail network invilving DVTs. Polmont, Ufton Nervet and Great Heck, in which the DVT was destroyed. The reason you don`t get to ride in the DVT is because it is effect the crush zone around the passengers, the loco at the other end provides the same effect.

[joelang6126]

@Middenraker True but theres is a difference between a DVT and a DBSO

[HSTHoward]

How the he'll does a cow do that?

[joelang6126]

@HSTHoward It was trapped under the wheels of the leading vehicle which was being propelled from the back by a loco. The cow caused the first vehicle to derail and has the train was being pushed caused other carriages to derail also.

[scotplane]

To think 12 deaths and 61 injuries could be caused by a simple coo. Did the coo survive or was the farmer verry angry?

[joelang6126]

@scotplane I dont think there was much left of the cow tbh

[mix91132]

look it up

[mix91132]

@Middenraker Ufton Nervet was a HST, and they don't have DVTs! Proof:

[MrJezza31]

@Middenraker Not to mention Hatfeild

[samthegreencat47]

@NOMAD8459 My understanding of it at the time was that it was more than one cow ,but several ,As in a HERD!

[NOMAD8459]

Must have been some bloomin cow!

[43050power]

@Middenraker Do you mean Hatfield as Ufton Nervet was an HST?

H

[scruffyted]

Ufton Nervet was a HST that hit a car, a HST power car is not a DVT, it is now classed as a class 43 locomotive. The HST has a power car at both ends. A DVT is unpowered and is basically a non passenger carrying coach with ballast weight and hopefully a cow catcher now!

Polmont involved a passenger carrying mk2d DBSO leading that wasn't fitted with a cow catcher.

[tynerider]

@Forty9Films  At Hatfield it was the 91 Loco that was leading.

[MickeyLove01]

it's weird how the train was discussed and not the prevention of cows from tracks

[limeyfox]

@Middenraker Just a small point - the leading vehicle at Ufton Nervet was an HST power car which is a 70ton diesel locomotive, a bit different to a 35ton DVT. But I agree if it was a passenger vehicle the consequences would have been even more horrendous.