Wheels to Disaster! The Oxford Train Wreck of Christmas Eve 1874

The development of railways in Britain came in the 1830s as a result of the needs of industry and of a public eager for the novelty and cheapness of rail travel. These early railways were beset by accidents caused by collisions and mechanical failure, and the 1870s produced more disasters than any other decade before or since. On Christmas Eve in 1874 the worst accident in the history of the GWR occurred at Shipton-on-Cherwell when the 10 A.M. from London Paddington to Birkenhead derailed, killing 34 passengers. The fracture of a single tire was enough to cause this catastrophe due to the lack of continuous braking and inadequate communication between the driver and passengers. The authors detail the history surrounding this tragic event using the accounts of eyewitnesses, archive newspaper articles, and reports.