From the 1995 Archives: Class 142 Drops Its Engine on the Track!

A Class 142 was derailed on August 7 after its own diesel engine fell onto the track while working a Sprinter service. The October 1995 issue of The Railway Magazine reported the incident involving vehicle No. 55703 and the subsequent recovery operation.

The incident

THE rear coach of a Class 142 was derailed on August 7 – after its own diesel engine fell onto the track while the train was travelling at speed!

The extraordinary incident occurred at Siddick, between Maryport and Workington, while unit No. 142053 was forming the rear half of the four-car 14.25 Carlisle-Barrow service.

Engine and fuel fire

The underslung Cummins engine of vehicle No. 55703 fell from its housing and dragged along the sleeper bed before falling completely off and derailing the vehicle.

Leaking diesel fuel was then ignited by friction caused by the derailment, which caused the rear of the vehicle to burst into flames.

Debris was scattered for several hundred yards down the line with the smashed engine lying in the middle of the track. The support frame for the engine was later found about a mile from the derailment scene.

Recovery and investigation

Regional Railways engineers recovered the unit and as many pieces as possible from the accident scene and will try to piece together what happened. The most likely cause is that the engine was incorrectly fitted into the holding frame and vibration or metal fatigue caused it to give way with the rocking of the train.

Passengers and aftermath

About 50 passengers were on board at the time of the accident, but all were travelling in the front unit. The rear set had been locked in readiness for passengers joining at Sellafield.

On August 27, No. 55703 was noted on a low-loader trailer which had been left in the middle of a junction roundabout of the M6 motorway near Crewe.