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Steam train driver hit by stone

BBC
Page last updated at 16:19 GMT, Monday, 30 March 2009 17:19 UK


A volunteer-run steam railway is considering suspending one of its routes after a driver was hit on the head by a stone.

The missile was thrown at the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) train travelling from Bury to Heywood.

A driver trainer took over the controls of the steam train on Sunday and the injured man was taken to hospital.

The ELR said it was "angry" about the incident and was considering suspending the Heywood service.

Later that evening a second steam locomotive returning to Bury was also hit by stones, but no-one was hurt.

Security measures

The ELR route closed to passengers in the 1970s.

It was reopened in 1987 between Ramsbottom to Bury and then extended to Rawtenstall, followed by the Heywood link in 2003.

The ELR said Rochdale Council had invested about £60,000 in extra security on the line, but it had been subjected to vandalism since its opening.

ELR general manager Andy Coward said: "Whilst I am sure the persons concerned never set out to injure someone, throwing stones at any moving vehicle is a dangerous act which could have had far more serious implications.

"The safety and welfare of our volunteers and passengers is our number one priority.

"Our operations director and safety department will be meeting over the coming days to decide what we need to do to continue safe operations to Heywood.

"Should these incidents continue, it is possible that the railway will have to consider suspending services to Heywood until the safety of our staff and passengers can be more assured."

The driver needed stitches and is now recovering at home.

Greater Manchester Police said they had been notified of the incident.

In 1995 I was working as a volunteer on a rural railway in UK. I was "third man" on GWR 2-6-2T 5541 one evening as we headed home, when suddenly we were attacked with stones by the owner of a road haulage company next to the line. He shattered one of the reinforced glass windows on the loco, then broke a brake pole across the back of our shunter. He punched one of his own employees who tried to restrain him. He then tried to block the line with a sleeper as we moved slowly away under a hail of stones, with a driver standing guard at the footplate door with a coal pick in his hand. The police were called but they refused to come - they said there were only two of them in the local police station and they knew this bloke well and wouldn't come for him unless there were six of them! Eventually a group of local council workers who were fixing the road up by the level crossing saw what was going on and came to help carrying pick axes, iron bars and shovels, and our attacker retreated.

Apparently this bloke was well known in the local close-knit community as being unstable, especially when drink and other substances were involved. He was arrested, and for a while the police considered prosecuting him under railway laws where attempting to derail a train is very serious. In the end I believe someone shopped him for not paying his VAT, which probably hit him harder than a jail sentence would have done.