Salisbury Train Wreck of 1906 - Salisbury, England, UK
Posted by: 
cldisme
N 51° 03.884 W 001° 47.891
30U E 584212 N 5657710
Excessive speed and a sharp curve cost 28 people their lives July 1, 1906.
Waymark Code: WM46CJ
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/14/2008
Views: 59
The exact reason for the accident has never been resolved. It was rumoured passengers travelling to London from the transatlantic port at Plymouth had bribed the driver to run the train as fast as possible.
It was known that engineers often ran through Salisbury very fast to "get a run" at a hill on the other side of town.
The engine was new to the engineer and had a higher center of gravity than he had operated before.
What is known is the overnight train from Plymouth to London sped through the town of Salisbury and crashed into a milk train on the neighboring track as it took the curve too fast. The crew on both trains were killed along with 24 passengers.
The plaque reads:
This tablet was erected by Citizens of Salisbury as a pledge of brotherly sympathy with morners in England, America and Canada in memory of those who lost their lives through an accident on the railway within this city, in the early morning of Sunday, July 1st 1906 and whose names are here recorded.
The names of the 28 victims are then listed in alphabetical order followed by the following passages:
"In the midst of life we are in death"
"Of whom may we seek for succour but of thee O Lord"
Visiting this memorial requires a visit inside
Salsbury Cathedral.
Regular visiting hours are daily 7:15am to 6:15pm (but please check the website for service times and scheduled closures) and a £5.00 donation per adult is highly recommended.