Irish Railway Record Society

Journal 172

Accident at Collooney Midland

Wednesday 22 December 1943     

JOHN O’MEARA

Collooney Midland, or, as it was known locally, Collooney North, is situated at MP 125 from Broadstone on a falling gradient of 1:120. The station remains open today, the sole survivor of Collooney’s three stations (for a population in 1920, according to the Michelin Guide, of 330!).

Up to 1932, Collooney Midland was a block post with small train staffs to Ballymote to the south and Ballysodare to the north. After closure of the signal cabin, the new ETS (electric train staff section) became Ballysodare/Ballymote, with a partially overlapping section towards Claremorris, on the ex-GS&WR route, this being Ballysodare/Leyny, also using small train staffs. The complex layout in this area was described in JOURNAL 165, pp 225-6.

It was possible to take on, simultaneously, a train from Ballymote to Ballysodare and send one from Ballysodare to Leyny; alternatively trains could be taken on from both Ballymote and Leyny to Ballysodare at the same time. To make sure no head-on or sideswipe collisions could occur, trap points, located about 60 yards north of Collooney Midland, were provided where the falling gradient steepened from 1: 120 to 1:90.

At 9:47 pm on Wednesday 22 December 1943, the 10:45 pm North Wall-Sligo goods of Tuesday 21 December (ie the previous night) was offered to Ballysodare by Ballymote, accepted under Rule 3, and entered the section at 10:52 pm.

The 12:30 Tuam-Sligo goods of 22 December was also offered to Ballysodare by Leyny at 10:39 pm and also accepted under Rule 3. Train “on” was recorded at 11:05 pm. Signalman Bill Garland of Ballysodare decided to let the Tuam goods take precedence over the North Wall train, as the latter had a lot of tranships(sundries) for his station and three wagons for detaching. Leaving Leyny, the 12:30 pm had neither sundries nor wagons for Collooney or Ballysodare. Giving priority to the Tuam train in such circumstances was normal procedure.

The 9:45 pm had a lot of tranships for Collooney. Its driver was informed of this in Ballymote and told to stop as near as possible to the goods store in Collooney. He did not do so and the train trundled past the platform and out through the trap points, which were not closed for through running. The engine derailed and fell on its side. Seven wagons were badly smashed and the running road was completely blocked.

Breakdown gangs were sent from Sligo and Mullingar. It took thirty hours to clear the road for traffic. The guard was slightly hurt, but both the driver and fireman were seriously injured. All three were taken to hospital by ambulance.

In an interview after his discharge from hospital, driver John O’Flaherty stated that he was in charge of locomotive No 593, a J18 class 0-6-0 attached to Sligo Depot as of 22 December 1943. It had been prepared for him that afternoon by driver Pat O’Rourke, and had gone light engine to Boyle to take over the working of the previous day’s down 10:45 pm goods when its engine, No 627, an 0-6-0 of the J5 class, had gone to the assistance of an up passenger train, which had become disabled at Longford.

He had had no trouble with No 593, and its steam brake had worked perfectly at Boyle, Kilfree Junction and Ballymote. The boiler pressure had remained constant at 150 psi throughout, except going up Kilfree bank, when a five-minute stop had been made to get a head of steam.

One mile before Collooney, at the first of two overbridges, “Barbers”, a severe fall of over a mile was the grim prospect facing the engine crew. The fireman applied the tender brake and the driver applied the engine brake. Both had only a minimal effect on the speed of the train, even though the van brake was also hard on.

The train speed through Collooney station was about 10 mph and it went out through the trap points near the junction with Southern Road.

Driver Dominick Fallon, also from the Sligo Depot, stated that on 22 December, he had driven the 12:30 pm goods from Tuam, taking over at Claremorris, headed by locomotive No 192, an 0-6-0 of the J15 class, and had found it difficult to control his train of 30 wagons and van, due to a light mist, freezing fog and a greasy rail, despite running at a slower speed than normal. At about 11:20 pm, he had arrived at Collooney South, where he was stopped and informed of the derailment. He left his experienced fireman, Billy McKay, in charge of No 192, and went to the scene of the accident where he found No 593 lying on its side. Its crew had already been taken to Sligo Hospital. Driver Fallon examined the engine and found that the gauge showed a pressure of 75 psi, that there was water in both glasses, and the fire was still lighting. He threw out most of the fire and found both injectors closed, with no sign of steam leaking from any part of the engine. He satisfied himself that there was nothing else he could do, but stayed near No 593 until such time as a relief crew arrived from Sligo. He then went back to his own train had worked it forward to base at Sligo Goods.

Guard Holland, who had joined the 9:45 pm at Boyle, said, in a written statement, that he had noticed nothing unusual on any part of the journey until they were approaching the first bridge, “Barbers”. Here, when he put on his van’s brakes, the wheels began to skid. He pointed out that alongside his van, in an “Escort Saloon Carriage”, were an Army Officer and four non-commissioned me, all heavily armed, guarding a “Gun Powder Van”, in which there were 15 tons of gelignite. Not one of them had been injured in any way.

Before salvage work, or rerailing, could commence, the Mullingar breakdown train had to haul the van and wagons, which were capable being moved despite their condition, to Collooney Goods Yard. These were then all unloaded and their contents conveyed by road to Sligo Goods Store for distribution. They included such varied items as locomotive coal, motor spirit, flour, acid, Guinness, butter lard, beet, an inordinate amount of sundries, and six coffins!

Among the covered wagons that had not been damaged was a GNR empty cement wagon being returned to Drogheda via Enniskillen.

The Irish Sugar Company claimed, and received, the sum of 25 pounds, 11 shillings and threepence for damage to its wagon of beet, being shipped from Ballymote to Tuam.

An inquiry into the cause of the accident revealed:

O’Flaherty resumed duty as station relief and pilotman on 24 April 1944. The fireman and guard were respectively back on the payroll on 12 and 17 January 1944.

On 8 January 1943, an investigation was carried out  by D Kirwan, Operating Assistant, and TJ O’Doherty, District Supt, Mullingar, as to why the train had taken two hours at Ballymote. After a day’s inquiry, they found that between locomotive duties, shunting, signals, unloading at platform of Guinness and raisins, there had been no opportunity  for the crew to absent themselves from the station.

Locomotive No 593 was towed to Sligo, where minor repairs were carried out.

Copyright © 2010 by Irish Railway Record Society Limited
Revised: January 04, 2016 .