Gurnos Colliery runaway journey, 1916

A snapped coupling sent about six trams back down an incline at Gurnos Colliery, Ystradgynlais, on 24 November 1916, killing two men at a double parting.

Cause

The weld of a coupling snapped on a rising journey, and the safety bar-hook failed to hold the runaway trams in soft ground.

What happened

At about 5.25 on the evening of Friday 24 November 1916 a journey of trams was being hauled up an incline at Gurnos Colliery, Ystradgynlais, when a coupling snapped at the weld and about six trams ran back. Evan Rees Davies and Thomas Powell, standing at the double parting, had no time to get clear. Davies was dead when brought out of the pit. Powell was taken home and then to Swansea Hospital, where both his legs were amputated; he died at 6.30 the next morning. The bar-hook on the last tram, meant to dig into the ground and stop a runaway, was found bent, and the coroner thought the soft ground had let the trams ride over it. The rider said he had checked the shackling twice. The jury returned accidental death.

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 24 November 1916 runaway trams at Gurnos Colliery, Ystradgynlais, killed Evan Rees Davies and Thomas Powell, who were standing at a double parting. ^1,2,3
• A coupling snapped at the weld as a journey was being hauled up an incline, and about six trams ran back. ^1,2,3
• The bar-hook on the last tram, meant to dig in and stop runaways, was found bent; the coroner thought the soft ground had let the trams ride over it. ³
• Davies was dead when brought out; Powell had both legs amputated at Swansea Hospital and died early the next morning. ^2,3
• The inquest jury at Swansea returned accidental death. ³

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: “…snapped coupling sent about six trams back down an incline at Gurnos Colliery, Ystradgynlais, on 24 November 1916, killing two men at a double…”
• Incline (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “A snapped coupling sent about six trams back down an incline at Gurnos Colliery, Ystradgynlais, on 24 November 1916, killing two…”
• Journey (contextual relationship)
  Named twice in this record, first in the cause: “The weld of a coupling snapped on a rising journey, and the safety bar-hook failed to hold the runaway trams in soft…”
• Tub (contextual relationship)
  Named 6 times in this record, first in the summary: “A snapped coupling sent about six trams back down an incline at Gurnos Colliery, Ystradgynlais, on 24…”

Sources

1. (secondary) 1916 fatalities — Welsh Coal Mines
2. (primary) Two colliers killed: runaway trams at a Ystradgynlais colliery (The Cambria Daily Leader, 25 November 1916) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)
3. (primary) Runaway trams: the double fatality at a Ystradgynlais colliery (The Cambria Daily Leader, 28 November 1916) — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)

Record created: 9 October 2026 · Last researched: 9 October 2026