3-046-988 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Scene of the railway accident at Kirtlebridge, Dumfries, [Scotland], 1872. 'An engine-driver and ten passengers were killed and many were injured...a mineral train from Carlisle...arrived at Kirtlebridge station in front of the express train...The men in charge of the mineral train had to deposit some waggons at Kirtlebridge, and for that purpose shunted their train from the down line to the up line...Unfortunately, by some blunder, the man in charge of the points turned them so that the mineral train, instead of proceeding along the up line, was directed across the road and upon the down line. At this moment, all the signals being clear for it, the express train came down from Carlisle at full speed...and ran into the mineral waggons with a fearful crash...the mineral waggons were hurled into the air...[The carriages] were broken into a thousand fragments. It was in the ruins of these three carriages that the dead bodies were found...The wounded, maimed, and bruised are likely to survive, but some of them will scarcely recover from the effects of their injuries. The station-master, Alexander Currie, was taken into custody by order of the Procurator-Fiscal, or Scotch public prosecutor, immediately after the accident'. From "Illustrated London News", 1872.