The Carmont Rail disaster ..

..was due to the train hitting a landslide.

We are still awaiting further accident reports about Carmont. As usual the authorities try and blame the driver who was not speeding at 73mph as such was below the advisory limit. It is curious that the very bridge the train derailed was at the moment in time being repaired at its foot. Furthermore the blurb in the report made for worrying reading with respect to the melioration measures made a while back that had not been inspected a while back. All in all a “disaster” There is local feeling that the clapped out refitted Class 43s were unsuitable for this part of the line. A relative of the driver called them “a beast”. As a regular commuter, til now, I have been on the East Coast many times on these type of trains and yes they are fine in straight lines. As in a lot of accidents it is a combination of factors. In this one the weather was awful, the line is prone to landslip — there was another recently, maintenance was needed as the crew were out in a storm, and the fact it was an old train did not help. Time will tell if we get an honest view from one of the several investigations. Two points finally. First, there has been some PR from Network Rail who now have dedicated helicopters out and about inspecting as shown on the TV program Countryfile, I think, aired in the last few months. Second it is interesting to observe the Norway trains approach as shown on the YT channel of Rail-cowgirl. Look ..