Margate West

It was May Bank Holiday Monday 1979. We had three booked loco-hauled Excursions due in, all of which were advertised under the ‘’Mystex’’ banner. Remember those? ‘’Mystex’’ stood for ‘’Mystery Excursion’’. One was from Loughborough, one from Treherbert (South Wales), and one from Swansea. They were due in at 10:27, 11.05, and 12:17 respectively. Luckily for me they were all Class 47 hauled, the locos being Nos. 47078 ''Sir Daniel Gooch'', 47003, and 47230.

The previous two arrived as per usual and the stock was berthed at Ramsgate for servicing, ready for the return trip. The Excursion from Swansea was due to berth in the yard at Margate. After all passengers disembarked, the loco (No. 47230) ran round its train and attached to the Faversham end; the train was hauled out onto the ‘’up’’ Main and started to push back into the yard. I had just had an ‘’unofficial’’ cab ride as the loco ran round its train, with a friend who was a Driver from Dover Marine.

Now, the entrance to the yard contained a double slip, which was a bit temperamental at times, and today was going to be one of those days! The yard already contained two complete 12-car EMUs all made up of 2-HAP stock. I watched the Mk 1 coaches wind themselves over the point work and back into the yard; suddenly, there was an enormous BANG! I looked over to the yard to see the coaches bump each other until the coach behind the loco reared up and slammed into the rear cab, and a cloud of dust shot up! The train had propelled back and the point blades on the single slip had sprung back onto an already occupied road. The coaches collided with a 12-car HAP and bumped each other until the first coach – which was attached with a screw coupling – rode up and smashed into the loco.

Panic set in…………the whole incident had been witnessed by almost ¾ of the passengers who had just alighted from the train! Frantic phone calls ensued. The train was due for its return trip in a little over 4 hrs. A Class 08 shunter was summoned from Ramsgate, No. 08385, which duly pulled the 47 off the train. This was followed by an enormous deafening CLANG, as the Oleo Buffer head fell off onto the track. The loco was hastily dragged back to Ramsgate, and the coaches “Red Carded” – Not To Be Moved. A replacement train appeared in the form of No. 33038 and rake of SR MK 1s in plenty of time for a right time departure to Swansea. The cause of the accident was put down to defective points and they were hastily repaired………until the next time!

Between June '79 and January '81, no less than four other trains, all EMUs, came to grief on the same set of points! All resulted in the train jumping the rails and onto the ''juice'' rail, welding the first wheel set to the live rail and causing chaos. Units involved in “welding” were Nos. 7162, 7120, 7202, 6022, 6107, and 7171. Other incidents witnessed were a Class 33 gushing fuel oil everywhere as it ran into the station from Faversham on an excursion and promptly failing through fuel starvation in the platform – the train had hit an obstruction at Whitstable on the way down, splintering a public foot crossing, the remnants of which speared the fuel tank in no less than seven places! No. 73134 derailed itself on the short spur leading to the Parcels Dock at the Thanet Gala Day in July '87, with the Area Manager himself no less having been the driver at the time! That was hushed up rather rapidly!

May 1979

Stabled in the yard at Margate, we see a somewhat battered No. 47230 after its collision with the excursion stock. A buffer is missing and we are afforded an interesting view of the head code box area, where each individual light bulb can be deciphered. The locomotive was eventually withdrawn from service in January 1987, when allocated to Cardiff Canton, and cut up in March 1989 by Booth Roe of Rotherham. © John Horton