MineArchiveHaulage / Transport disasters
Underground or surface tramway, tub and haulage-rope accidents.
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44 disasters, in date order.
| Disaster | Date | Type | Region | Fatalities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860s | ||||
| Pelton Colliery tubs accident, 1866 At the end of their shift on 12 January 1866 a group of boys at Pelton Colliery rode out on a set of laden tubs, against the colliery's rules, and collided with a runaway set from a branch. Five, aged 12 to 17, were killed and others injured. |
12 January 1866 | Haulage / Transport | County Durham | 5 |
| Cwmbran Colliery scalding, 1866 At about half past two in the morning of 26 April 1866 a haulier bringing trams along the main horse road at Cwmbran Colliery came past the underground boilers too fast. The trams flew off the plates and knocked down the upright pipe carrying the cock used to blow the boilers through, and live steam poured out so fiercely that none of the three men there escaped. The Inspector had double cocks fitted afterwards. |
26 April 1866 | Machinery | Torfaen | 3 |
| Black Vein Colliery haulage accident, 1866 Two colliers riding against the rules on trams being hauled up the long engine slope at the Black Vein pit, Risca, were killed on 7 September 1866 when the trams left the plates. |
7 September 1866 | Haulage / Transport | Caerphilly | 2 |
| 1870s | ||||
| Gethin Colliery railway accident, 1879 An engine on Crawshay's Gethin colliery railway ran into unlit coal trucks in the dark on 17 January 1879, crushing three lads riding on its front. |
17 January 1879 | Haulage / Transport | Merthyr Tydfil | 3 |
| 1880s | ||||
| Eppleton Colliery tubs accident, 1881 On 6 January 1881 two boys were killed at Eppleton Colliery, near Hetton-le-Hole in County Durham, when the full tubs they were riding jumped the rails and up-ended on them. |
6 January 1881 | Haulage / Transport | Tyne and Wear | 2 |
| Dudley Colliery incline accident, 1881 On 12 May 1881 two boys were crushed by tubs on an inclined plane at Dudley Colliery, at Cramlington in Northumberland. |
12 May 1881 | Haulage / Transport | Tyne and Wear | 2 |
| Mosley Common Colliery haulage accident, 1881 Two young miners at the Bridgewater Trustees' Mosley Common Colliery were killed on 20 September 1881 after apparently jumping onto moving tubs on a gig-brow and overturning them. |
20 September 1881 | Haulage / Transport | Greater Manchester | 2 |
| Fforchaman Colliery runaway drams Two boys of fifteen were walking out of Fforchaman behind a train of loaded wagons on the night of Tuesday 20 October 1885 when one of the coupling chains gave way. The train ran wild and struck them, killing both on the spot. |
20 October 1885 | Haulage / Transport | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 2 |
| Cramlington Colliery runaway tubs accident, 1888 On 6 January 1888 a set of tubs ran away on a self-acting incline at Cramlington Colliery, Northumberland, and caught a fifteen-year-old water leader, Thomas Floyd, and a hewer, Samuel Hawke, who died nine days later. |
1888 | Haulage / Transport | Northumberland | 2 |
| Wyken Colliery haulage accident, 1889 A hook coupling three tubs of men to the haulage rope at Wyken Colliery, near Coventry, broke on 16 September 1889; the train ran away down an 800-yard incline and was wrecked, killing three of the seven riders. |
16 September 1889 | Haulage / Transport | West Midlands | 3 |
| 1890s | ||||
| Ynysfeio Colliery runaway journey, 1892 At a quarter past three on the afternoon of 18 January 1892 the tail rope broke on a full journey of trams going down a steep incline at Ynysfeio Colliery, Treherbert. The journey ran wild to the bottom. Thomas Griffiths, the rider, and Gwillym Morgan, a collier riding in an empty tram in the middle of the full journey, were killed in the wreckage. |
1892 | Haulage / Transport | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 2 |
| Yniscedwyn Colliery runaway, 1892 At six in the evening of 24 August 1892 the night shift at Yniscedwyn Colliery was waiting to ride down the steep new drift in a journey of carriages held by a scotch. One of the men kicked the scotch away before the engine was manned, the journey ran away down the 1-in-3 incline, crashed into timbers and brought down the roof, killing six men and injuring three. The inquest held the dead man who started it responsible. |
24 August 1892 | Haulage / Transport | Powys | 6 |
| Hendreladais Colliery Man-Riding Accident, 1892 A haulage engine left unattended let man-riding carriages run out of control down the colliery's steep incline at the start of the night shift, killing six men and seriously injuring three more. |
24 August 1892 | Haulage / Transport | Powys | 6 |
| Pentre Colliery runaway journey, 1894 A train of trams broke loose in a drift at Pentre Colliery, Rhondda, on 31 August 1894, killing a shackler and fatally injuring a door boy of 13. |
31 August 1894 | Haulage / Transport | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 2 |
| Hendreforgan Colliery Runaway Journey, 1896 Nine boys riding illicitly up a steep incline in an empty journey of trams were thrown back down when a drawbar broke between the fourth and fifth trams. Two were killed, a 17-year-old collier boy and a 13-year-old haulier, and the other seven were all injured. |
15 August 1896 | Haulage / Transport | Neath Port Talbot | 2 |
| Gelli Colliery incline accident, 1897 Early on 29 May 1897 a chain link broke as rubbish trams were hauled up the incline to the top of Gelli Pit, and the runaway trams killed three men on the pit bank. |
29 May 1897 | Haulage / Transport | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 3 |
| Gellyceidrim Colliery runaway journey, 1897 On 7 July 1897, as a journey of twelve loaded trams was being hauled up the slant at Gellyceidrim Colliery, Glanamman, the rope broke and the trams ran back down the incline. Two men walking up after their shift, the collier Rees Jenkins and John Lloyd, could not reach a manhole in time and were killed. A runaway after another broken rope had killed a thirteen-year-old door boy on the colliery's slant the year before. |
7 July 1897 | Haulage / Transport | Carmarthenshire | 2 |
| 1900s | ||||
| Merthyr Vale Colliery runaway journey, 1900 In March 1900 a journey of trams broke away from its rope at Merthyr Vale Colliery and ran back into two men walking out at the end of their shift, killing both. |
March 1900 | Haulage / Transport | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 2 |
| Fochriw Colliery runaway trams, 1900 Two workers on their way out of Fochriw Colliery's No. 2 pit were killed on 5 April 1900 when trams ran away on a double parting after a hitching plate broke. |
5 April 1900 | Haulage / Transport | Caerphilly | 2 |
| Fochriw Colliery runaway journey, 1901 Nine trams broke loose from a journey on a Fochriw Colliery drift on 12 January 1901 and ran back into the men behind, killing two men and three horses. |
12 January 1901 | Haulage / Transport | Caerphilly | 2 |
| Pwllfaron Colliery runaway tram, 1901 On the night of Tuesday 13 August 1901 a runaway set of empty trams overtook the journey on which a pump boy and a rider were travelling down the slant at Pwllfaron Colliery, Glyn-neath. Richard Davies, 16, was killed outright and William Morgan, 20, died of his injuries. |
13 August 1901 | Haulage / Transport | Neath Port Talbot | 2 |
| Aberpergwm Colliery runaway tram, 1901 Two riders were killed at Aberpergwm Colliery, Glynneath, on 13 August 1901 when an empty tram ran into the timber trolley they were riding. |
13 August 1901 | Haulage / Transport | Neath Port Talbot | 2 |
| Niddrie Colliery incline accident, 1901 Two roadsmen testing a carriage incline at Niddrie on 1 September 1901 were killed when the rope came off the drum and the carriage ran away to the bottom. |
1 September 1901 | Haulage / Transport | Midlothian | 2 |
| Merthyr Vale Colliery runaway journey, 1903 On a Saturday afternoon in January 1903 the last full journey of the shift came off the road in No. 1 Pit, Merthyr Vale, and killed two colliers who were walking out along the haulage road. |
January 1903 | Haulage / Transport | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 2 |
| Maesteg Deep Colliery runaway journey, 1904 Four men were killed at Maesteg Deep on 14 November 1904 when a rider who had let himself into the locked engine house lost control of a journey carrying forty of the night shift down the drift. |
14 November 1904 | Haulage / Transport | Bridgend | 4 |
| Thankerton Colliery hutch accident, 1905 On 16 August 1905 a hutch carrying a miner, John Brown, and a pony driver, Charles Murray, came off the rails on a road in No. 7 Pit at Thankerton Colliery, near Holytown, knocked out the timbering and brought the roof down on them both. |
16 August 1905 | Collapse / Roof Fall | North Lanarkshire | 2 |
| Abercynon Colliery Haulage Accident, 1906 On the afternoon of Saturday 28 April 1906, about fifteen minutes before the end of the shift, a journey of twenty-four full trams of coal ran away underground at Abercynon Colliery and into the men waiting at the pit bottom to go up. Five were killed and at least six seriously injured. |
28 April 1906 | Haulage / Transport | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 5 |
| Dyffryn Main Colliery railway collision, 1906 Three platelayers riding a trolley on Main Colliery's private railway at Bryncoch, near Neath, were killed on 20 September 1906 when a locomotive ran into them on a sharp bend. |
20 September 1906 | Haulage / Transport | Neath Port Talbot | 3 |
| Waunhir Slant runaway A journey of loaded tubs weighing about nine tons was being drawn up the Waunhir slant at Trimsaran when a tub tilted at the top of the brow and the hitching plate broke. The tubs ran back down the drift into the men walking out at the end of their shift, knocked out props at the bottom and brought down six yards of roof, burying eleven. Six were killed. |
16 February 1907 | Haulage / Transport | Carmarthenshire | 6 |
| Annesley Colliery runaway tubs, 1907 On 15 August 1907 two datallers were run down by a runaway train of tubs at Annesley Colliery, in Nottinghamshire, as they walked to their work; both died the next day. |
15 August 1907 | Haulage / Transport | Nottinghamshire | 2 |
| Emlyn Colliery runaway journey, 1909 Two repairers walking out of Emlyn Colliery, Penygroes, at the end of the shift on 28 June 1909 were killed when a badly coupled tram and timber carriage ran wild down the slant. |
28 June 1909 | Haulage / Transport | Carmarthenshire | 2 |
| 1910s | ||||
| Cwmaman Colliery haulage accident, 1910 Two boys hurrying to the pit bottom at the end of their shift at Cwmaman Colliery were overtaken and killed by a journey of drams on 1 October 1910. |
1 October 1910 | Haulage / Transport | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 2 |
| Penallta Colliery runaway drams, 1913 Three drams of rubbish ran away down an incline at Penallta Colliery on 25 February 1913, killing a mason contractor and his labourer and injuring two more men. |
25 February 1913 | Haulage / Transport | Caerphilly | 2 |
| Maesteg Deep Colliery haulage accident, 1914 Two boys walking out of Maesteg Deep on 31 October 1914 were struck and dragged by a journey on the incline. |
31 October 1914 | Haulage / Transport | Bridgend | 2 |
| 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. |
24 November 1916 | Haulage / Transport | Powys | 2 |
| 1920s | ||||
| Cadean Slant manrider accident A link in the second shackle of the manrider train broke as the day shift rode out of the Cadean Slant at Trimsaran, 850 yards inside the drift. The side chains meant to hold the carriages failed too, nine carriages and the tool tram ran back down the slope and crashed into the side of a heading, bringing down the roof. Ten of the 103 men aboard were killed. |
26 April 1923 | Haulage / Transport | Carmarthenshire | 10 |
| Nunnery Colliery Paddy Mail Accident On the afternoon of 3 December 1923 a haulage rope broke on the Main East engine plane at Nunnery Colliery while 120 men and boys were riding down it in the Paddy Mail, a train of forty-four tubs. The set ran away, gathered speed and crashed at Cain's Junction 377 yards below the starting point, some of the tubs leaving the rails. Seven men died and fifty-five were injured. The inquiry led to recommendations that ropes used for riding be limited in life, never spliced, and fitted with runaway catches. |
3 December 1923 | Haulage / Transport | South Yorkshire | 7 |
| Woolley Colliery locomotive accident, 1924 On 9 September 1924 a colliery locomotive holding back twelve empty wagons ran out of control down a wet surface incline at Woolley Colliery, near Barnsley, and two men in its cab were fatally injured. |
9 September 1924 | Haulage / Transport | South Yorkshire | 2 |
| 1930s | ||||
| Moorgreen Colliery Man-riding Accident, 1930 A train of haulage trams carrying about 150 men ran away down an incline at Moorgreen, killing Thomas Bilbie and injuring about thirty-six others, six of them critically. |
6 November 1930 | Haulage / Transport | Nottinghamshire | 1 |
| Glencraig Colliery Haulage Accident 1933 A Glencraig repairer named English was crushed to death by a rake of haulage hutches in 1933 while trying to escape unexpectedly restarted machinery — an accident whose 1937 House of Lords ruling, Wilsons & Clyde Coal Co Ltd v English, established the employer's non-delegable duty to provide a safe system of work, still a foundational principle of UK employers'-liability law. |
1933 | Haulage / Transport | Fife | 1 |
| 1940s | ||||
| Blaenclydach Colliery spake runaway, 1941 At about seven on the morning of 25 November 1941 the spake, the man-riding train of seated drams carrying about ninety men and boys into the 500-yard Abergorchy drift at Blaenclydach Colliery, ran out of control and careered two hundred yards before it was stopped. Men who jumped were thrown back under it in the narrow drift. Seven were killed, two of them fifteen-year-olds, and many more injured. |
25 November 1941 | Haulage / Transport | Rhondda Cynon Taf | 7 |
| 1950s | ||||
| Mosley Common Man-Riding Accident, 1952 On 2 October 1952 three men were killed and many injured when a man-riding train crashed at Mosley Common Colliery, near Tyldesley in Lancashire. |
2 October 1952 | Haulage / Transport | Greater Manchester | 3 |
| 1960s | ||||
| Silverwood Colliery Paddy Mail Disaster A runaway underground materials train collided with a man-riding train carrying miners to their shift at Silverwood Colliery, killing ten men and injuring 29 — one of the worst underground transport accidents in the South Yorkshire coalfield. |
3 February 1966 | Haulage / Transport | South Yorkshire | 10 |
| 1970s | ||||
| Bentley Colliery manrider derailment, 1978 An underground manriding train carrying 65 miners derailed after running away down an incline at Bentley Colliery on 21 November 1978, killing seven men and injuring many more. |
21 November 1978 | Haulage / Transport | South Yorkshire | 7 |