MineArchiveCwmbargoed Colliery railway accident, 1844
On the evening of 3 April 1844 about forty colliers leaving Cwmbargoed Colliery crowded into a locomotive tender rather than wait for their usual wagon home. The tender left the rails and pulled the engine and train down a steep bank, killing four men outright and a fifth soon after.
| Date | 3 April 1844 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Cwmbargoed Colliery |
| Region | Merthyr Tydfil |
| Type | Haulage / Transport |
| Fatalities | 5 (Adam Parker, William Evans, Thomas Evans and James Davies, colliers, and one man not named. Others were severely injured.) |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
An overcrowded locomotive tender, used by colliers for the ride home, came off the rail and dragged the engine and train down a steep declivity.
What happened
A wagon came to Cwmbargoed every evening at five o'clock to take the men home from the colliery. On Wednesday 3 April 1844 about forty of them, too impatient to wait for it, got into the tender of the engine instead. By some accident never explained the tender got off the rail and drew the engine and train after it down a steep declivity. Four men were killed on the spot and one died shortly afterwards; others were severely injured. The report caused a considerable sensation in Dowlais and Merthyr.
Investigation & inquiry
An inquest was opened and adjourned; at the adjourned inquest the jury returned a verdict of accidental death on the men killed by the Cwmbargoed engine.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On the evening of Wednesday 3 April 1844 four men were killed outright and a fifth died soon after when a locomotive tender carrying colliers home from Cwmbargoed Colliery left the rails. 1
- About forty men, too impatient to wait for the five o'clock wagon, climbed into the tender, which came off the rail and dragged the engine and train down a steep slope. 1
- The adjourned inquest on the men killed by the Cwmbargoed engine returned a verdict of accidental death. 2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…the evening of 3 April 1844 about forty colliers leaving Cwmbargoed Colliery crowded into a locomotive tender rather than wait for their usual…”
Sources
- (secondary) Mining fatalities, 1844 — Welsh Coal Mines
- (primary) Inquests, Merthyr, Monmouthshire Merlin, 20 April 1844 — Welsh Newspapers Online (National Library of Wales)
Record created: 23 October 2026 · Last researched: 23 October 2026