Three escape car which dropped on to Cheltenham railway

Three people had a lucky escape from their car on 31st December, when it plunged onto the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway following a collision with another car turning out of Kayte Lane, on the approach to Southam Lane bridge. The car landed in the path of the oncoming service train from Winchcombe, which was brought to a halt about 90 yards ahead of the scene of the accident.

After colliding with a Hyundai Comfort at about 1.20 in the afternoon, the Vauxhal Vectra crashed through the timber fence alongside the road and into the cutting, landing nose-first on the track and overturing onto its roof, coming to rest partly over the line. The car occupants, a 43-year-old man, a 38-year-old woman and a 14-year-old girl managed to clamber out of their vehicle to safety, before the emergency services arrived on the scene. They were taken to Cheltenham General Hospital and treated for cuts and bruises while the girl was also treated for shock.

Neil Carr, operations manager for the railway and who was driving the ex-Turkish Railways 8F 2-8-0 no. 45160, says that as his train, the 13.00 from Winchcombe, was approaching Southam Lane bridge his fireman, Derek Smith, spotted the car obstructing the track as the train rounded the curve. "We applied the emergency brake immediately and brought the train safely to a halt, some way ahead of the car," he said.

The train was later propelled back to Winchcombe at 10mph with qualified staff looking out from the end coach. Buses were arranged for passengers to complete their journey back to Cheltenham Racecourse station.

Meanwhile, firefighters disconnected the car battery and the car was lifted from the track by crane. Railway engineers checked that the track was not damaged.

This is the third time that a car has left Southam Lane and landed on the track in the past few years. After the second occasion, when a car travelling along Kayte Lane failed to stop at the T-junction with Southam Lane and smashed through the fence next to the bridge and on to the track below, the local authority installed large road signs at the junction to make it more obvious.

"At the time, we requested the council to install a crash barrier but it was not considered necessary," said Neil Carr.

"After this incident we shall again be pressing the council to make the junction safer. If this accident had happend just a few minutes later, the consequences could have been much more tragic as the car could have landed under the train itself.

"This is an unfortunate end to the 2011 season which has been a very difficult one for the railway," Neil Carr adds.

"I hope that 2012 is much brighter for the railway - for example, we expect to complete repair work at the Chicken Curve embankment, just north of Winchcombe, during the summer.

"Meanwhile, train services will operate as advertised on New Year's day and on Monday 2nd January."

http://www.gwsr.com/news/latest-news/car-plunges-onto-track-at-southam.aspx

I quite like the GWSR, having visited several times, to diesel galas. And it's a great shame to hear of another incident involving the railway. Especailly after the 2nd land slip in 2 years, is still not repaired. I can't begin to express the issues that the railway are having as a result of noth being able to run the line in its entirety! And all the incidents, plus the cost of repairs to track, are really not helping. I wish all of the members of the railway, and any locomotive/rolling stock which is based at the railway, a happy new year, and hope they have a better 2012.

Whoops sounds bad