Wallumbilla Railway Disaster

Wallumbilla, Queensland. 1 December 1956.

From Great Australian Railway Disasters

Five passengers aboard a Mail train were killed and 10 others admitted to hospital when the Westlander crashed into the Western Mail  which was stationary at Wallumbilla, 467 km west of Brisbane.

        The accident occurred at 6.14am on Sat 1 December 1956 at the station where the two trains were intended to cross. Tragically, among those killed was 12 year old Roma High School student, Mary Sewell, and her grandmother, Rebecca Smith, aged 72. Mary’s mother, Mrs. Olive Sewell told the Courier Mail newspaper:

“I was standing by the window of the Western Mail looking out. I heard the Westlander whistle, then there was a terrific crash. I can’t seem to remember anything else until I woke up on Wallumbilla platform.”

        Another passenger injured in the collision, Lyal Grant, 22, recounted from hospital the events as he remembered them:

“There was a smash and I felt myself crashing through a wall. A water tank feel on me and burst. Seats were flying everywhere. I tried to get clear of the wreckage and there was a burning sensation in my left leg. I knew it was broken. Somehow or other I finished up on a pile of wreckage with the other injured people trapped under me.”

        One of those seriously injured in the smash, Reginald Oehlmann, was rushed 306 km by ambulance to Toowoomba after being crushed from the waist down.

        A railway engineer would later give evidence before a board of inquiry that the 200 tonnes Western Mail had been rammed back 46 metres from the point of impact by the force of the 345 tonne Westlander. A five member departmental board of inquiry, open to the public and media, began hearing evidence at Roma on 4 December into the cause of the crash. The board was headed by the railway general manager, Mr. G. T. Foord.

        Separate from that inquiry, police conducted their own investigations into the smash, questioning “dozens of eyewitnesses.” The two crashed locomotives were still blocking the main line late on 2 December with breakdown gangs working all day to cut the two engines apart. Railway officials had hoped to clear the main line by noon on 3 December; however, heavy thunderstorms hampered their work and the main line was not reinstated until 4 December. A loop line around the crash site was used in the interim.

        The all-steel construction of the Westlander train was given as one of the reasons there had not been more fatalities in the accident. There were 150 passengers aboard the Westlander, and only slight injuries were received by a few of the passengers. At the departmental inquiry, the Wallumbilla Hospital matron, Alma May Reiken, told of meeting a man who introduced himself as “McDougall, the driver of the Westlander.”

        Reiken told the inquiry that [William George] McDougall had told her: “It’s all my fault. I was not well when I was at Yuleba [24km east of Wallumbilla] and should have got off the train there.”

        Also the inquiry heard evidence from the Roma district superintendent, Alfred Buchanan, who said that he had been told by the Wallumbilla stationmaster that both signals were at “danger,” when the Westlander passed through them. Buchanan also told the inquiry that he was aware that it was difficult for guards to observe signals from lookouts in vans of the type used on the Westlander on the day of the tragedy.

        Following the luncheon adjournment on 4 December, the board of inquiry travelled to Wallumbilla by special train to make a one hour inspection of the crash scene. It later took evidence in the town’s public hall from local witnesses. Local grazier and stock agent, David Bassingthwaighte, said he saw the Westlander approach the station faster than he had ever seen it do so before. There were no warning blasts on the whistle, and a signal was “straight out” against the Westlander, Bassingthwaighte said.

        On 5 December, the guard of the Western Mail, Aubrey Vincent Albert Connor, told the inquiry that following the crash, he had asked the driver of the Westlander, McDougall, whether the signal was off. McDougall had replied: “I don’t know.” Connor said that the guard of the Westlander, James Phillips, had told him that the signal was at danger when he saw it- and that he had pulled on the brakes when he realised that the train was not going to take the loop.

        Connor estimated that the Westlander’s speed was between 32 and 40 km/h.

        Bevin Ronald Scott, assistant maintenance engineer at Roma (40km east of Wallumbilla), told the inquiry that the signal levers at Wallumbilla were in the open and it would be possible for any person to pull them without the stationmaster’s knowledge. Wallumbilla’s stationmaster, Walter May, told the inquiry he had run to the engine hauling the Westlander immediately after the smash. May had said to its driver, McDougall:

“Bill, what are you doing here? You have passed signals at the stop position.”

May said that McDougall had replied: “Wal, I must have dozed off.” May had been amazed by that statement. [Later in the inquiry, English Electric Company engineer, William Young Wood, gave evidence that the cab of his company’s locomotives were “very comfortable” and that the occupants might have a tendency to “drop their heads.”]

        Queensland Railways’ South West Division general manager, William James McCormack said that when he had earlier been stationed at Roma, in a superintendent’s position, he had held McDougall in “very high esteem,” and he placed the guard, Phillips, in the same category.

        The board of inquiry subsequently found, by a majority decision, that the primary cause of the disaster was that Driver McDougall, while working the Up “Westlander,” on 1 December 1956, had passed the Up home signal at Wallumbilla in the “stop” position while the No. 19 Down mail train existed on the main line, and before McDougall had received the necessary caution hand signal at the loop points for his train to be admitted to the loop.

        The inquiry found that McDougall had failed to observe the obstruction ahead in sufficient time to avoid a collision. It also gave as contributing causes:

·                   the failure of guard “Phillips,” when working the Up “Westlander” on 1 December 1956, to take prompt action to have his train brought to a stand after the engine had passed the Up home signal in the “stop” position when it could be seen that his train was not being admitted to the loop by caution hand signal;

·                   the failure of Fireman Andrews, when working the “Up” Westlander on 1 December 1956, to pay immediate attention to and obey all signals at Wallumbilla and advise the driver of an obstruction (the No 19 Down mail) on the main line at the station. In a dissenting opinion, the two employee representatives on the board of inquiry, found that:

“…it is our considered opinion that this Railway Inquiry Board, as constituted under Section 127 of the Railways Acts, and functioning under the provisions of Section 143 of such Acts, has no power to find any person or persons guilty of any offence which has been either directly, or indirectly, the cause of, or has contributed to, the death of any person or persons, and any finding which in any manner convicts any person or persons of any offence, which may become the subject matter of a subsequent criminal charge is contrary to law, and a complete violation of the principals of justice.”

“Having regard to the aforementioned, we therefore find the Cause of Accident was due to train No 8S Up passing the Up home signal in the “Stop” position, although there is no evidence to suggest any hand signal was exhibited to admit 8S Up into Wallumbilla either to the platform or the loop.”

“Regarding the circumstances surrounding the accident, we are satisfied that something abnormal occurred in the cab of diesel electric locomotive No 1200 just prior to 8S arriving at Wallumbilla.”

 Wallumbilla_rail_smash.jpg (29315 bytes)

From the Courier Mail

Monday 3 December 1956

15 Witnesses will appear to probe into rail disaster

Roma- At least 15 witnesses will be called when a Departmental inquiry into Saturday’s Wallumbilla rail disaster opens here on Tuesday. Five passengers in a mail train were killed, 10 admitted to hospital, and many more received minor injuries when the Westlander crashed into the stationary mail train at Wallumbilla, 25 miles east of Roma, at 6.14am on Saturday, December 1, 1956.

 

The inquiry, the first of its kind to be open to the Press and public, is expected to last three or four days. Railway officials in Roma said last night that the crews of both trains involved would be called, in addition to the District Superintendent (Mr. A. Buchanan), the South Western Division General Manager (Mr. W. J. McCormack), eyewitnesses and engineers. It was officially announced last night that a board of five would conduct the inquiry. A police probe into the smash continued around the clock during the weekend. The two crashed locomotives were still blocking the main line last night. Breakdown gangs worked all day to cut the locomotives apart, and will resume work at daylight this morning, to clear the main line. Railway officials said the line should be cleared by midday. Rail traffic ran to normal schedules on a loop line through Wallumbilla yesterday.

Students at Funeral

Roma- Roma High School girls yesterday sobbed quietly at the double funeral of their class mate and her grandmother. The two died in Saturday’s Wallumbilla rail smash. Dead are Mary Sewell, 12, and her grandmother, Rebecca Smith, 72. Mary’s parents did not see the two buried side by side in the Roma cemetery. They lay seriously ill in the Roma Hospital. Women wept as the Rev. W. Scott McPheat spoke the words of the brief but deeply moving service. The sight was the saddest the new 20 month old Roma Presbyterian Church had seen. The railways southwest division general manager (Mr. W. J. McCormack) and Roma district railway superintendent (Mr. A. Buchanan) were among the pall bearers. The funeral of a third victim, Carol Bowden, of Summer Hope, Muckadilla, will leave the Roma Presbyterian Church at 4.00pm today.

Ambulance Dash

The bodies of the two other dead left Roma by rail last night. They were George Ratz, a grazier, of Injune, whose body was sent to Taroom for burial, and Roland Ortwell Fehlberg, a Toowoomba photographer, whose body was sent to Toowoomba.

Roma ambulance yesterday made a 60mph dash 190 miles to Toowoomba, with Reginald Charles Oehlman, who was injured in the smash. A nursing sister rode in the ambulance to give the man morphine and oxygen. Oehlman, a Chinchilla railway worker, was crushed from the waist down and had one of his eyes badly cut. He will receive special treatment at Toowoomba Hospital.

Patients Improve

Roma District General Hospital Superintendent (Dr. W. W. Feather) said last night most of the ten casualties from the smash still in hospital, had shown slight improvement during the day. Edward Lewis Andrews, 31, of Lewis Street, Roma, fireman of the Westlander, was in Roma hospital last night, with severe shock. Police said last night that the driver of the Westlander, William George McDougall, 35, was at his Crystal Street home receiving treatment for shock and could not be interviewed.

 

Courier Mail Tuesday 4 December 1956

50 Girls Stand in rain for funeral

 

Roma- Fifty Roma High School girls stood coatless in the rain at the funeral yesterday of train crash victim, Carol Bowden 15, of Summer Hope, Muckadilla. Carol was one of two Roma High School girls killed in the crash. Her schoolmates formed a guard of honour from the doors of Roma Presbyterian Church to the hearse. Many of the girls wept. The other High School girl killed, Mary Sewell, 12, was buried on Sunday from the same church.

Carol, whose home was 30 miles west of Roma, boarded at the Methodist Girls’ Hostel. She was in the sub-junior class at school. Men rushed forward with coats and umbrellas as Carol’s mother left the church. Business houses closed their doors and shop girls stood outside bareheaded as the cortege moved down Roma’s main street. The Railway’s southwest division general manager (Mr. W. J. McCormack) and the Roam railway district superintendent (Mr. A. Buchanan) were two of the pall bearers. Mr. A. Dohring, MLA, represented the Government at the funeral. In Toowoomba, Mr. D. J. Kearney SM was Government representative at the funeral of Rowland Fehlberg, 41, who was also killed in the crash. The Premier, Mr. Gair, has sent messages of condolence to relatives of those killed. He also sent messages of sympathy to those injured.

Like a Dream – Victim

Roma- Injured victims of Saturday’s smash told their stories in hospital yesterday. Lyal Edwin Grant, 22, Roma railway cleaner, said: “I thought I was dreaming. There was a smash and I felt myself crashing through a wall. A water tank burst on me. Seats were flying everywhere. I tried to get clear of the wreckage and there was a burning sensation in my left leg. I knew it was broken. Somehow or other I finished up on a pile of wreckage with the other injured people trapped under me.

Mrs. Olive May Sewell, 40, Roma housewife, said: “I still feel that it must have been a nightmare. I was standing by the window of the Western Mail looking out. I heard the Westlander whistle, then there was a terrific crash.”

Daughter Killed

“I can’t seem to remember anything else until I woke up on Wallumbilla platform.”

Mrs. Sewell is still recovering from severe shock. Her daughter, Mary, 12, and mother, Mrs. Rebecca Smith, 72, were killed in the disaster. Her husband was severely injured.

 

Many Lives Saved by All Steel Train

 

The steel construction of the airconditioned Westlander train saved many lives at Saturday’s Wallumbilla crash, experts said last night. The Westlander, like all other Queensland airconditioned trains, is of all steel construction. It was equipped with an anti telescopic device designed to prevent the carriages becoming uncoupled and lifting in collision. This device worked and the Westlander’s coaches did not rear up. Steel trains are built so that the coupling of one coach engages in the other, and the joint cannot be released without a manual operation. Conventional non steel trains have buffers, and coaches are coupled by screwing tight draw bars and hooks. The Westlander was carrying 150 passengers. A railway official said injuries received by the Westlander’s passengers were only slight. “None of the Westlander’s passengers were taken to hospital,” he said. “Had the Westlander been of wooden construction, the death toll last Saturday could have been much greater than it was.”

 

Courier Mail 5 December 1956

Westlander Driver Told me He Dozed

Matron Tells Inquiry

Evidence of Grim Scenes

Roma- Matron of the Wallumbilla Hospital yesterday told the open railway inquiry that the driver of the Westlander had told her he “must have dozed” before a crash which killed five people last Saturday. The matron, Alma May Reiken, told the inquiry board she talked to the train crew after tending injured in the wreckage of the Western Mail. A man introduced himself as “McDougall, the driver of the Westlander,” Matron Reiken said. He had said, “It’s all my fault. I was not well when I was at Yuleba (15 miles east of Wallumbilla) and should have got off the train there.”

Matron Reiken was giving evidence when the inquiry moved to Wallumbilla yesterday. During an adjournment the five board members made an hour long inspection of the crash scene and its surroundings. More than 50 people listened to the hearing at Wallumbilla Public Hall. The board will resume hearing evidence at Roma today. Matron Reiken said she was driven to the scene of the smash a few minutes after it happened on Saturday morning.

Said a Prayer

“When I saw the dreadful mess, I said a quick prayer for the people terribly injured, and asked God to give me strength to carry on,” she told the board.

The matron said she ran from one to the other of the injured, giving injections to ease their suffering. One injured man named Courtney, kept saying: “My Mate’s in there; my mate’s in there.” Matron Reiken said she looked, and there was a terrible mess, with just the legs showing.” She said she then looked around for the train crew and someone said they were in the office. She said she saw two men and was surprised at how slightly injured they were. One of the men told her he was “McDougall the driver of the Westlander.” Matron Reiken said McDougall told her, “It’s my fault, I was not well when I was at Yuleba, and I should have got off the train there. I think I must have dozed.” The matron said it was on the tip of her tongue to ask the driver why he was not well, when someone said there was a woman and a man in the final carriage in grievous condition. She said that nobody in the Westlander had been seriously injured.

Beyond Aid

Up to that time, there were three dead, and one woman “we could not do anything for,” Matron Reiken said. She was shockingly injured around the head and died just after the doctor arrived. A man named Oehlman was terribly crushed and moaning frightfully. Matron Reiken said that the doctor (Dr. W. W. Feather) (Superintendent at Roma Hospital) told the people there that they had done a marvelous job.

Danger Signals

Earlier at the inquiry at Roma, the railway district superintendent at Roma, Alfred Alec Buchanan, said that the Wallumbilla station-master had told him that both signals were “at danger” when they were passed by the Westlander on Saturday. The shift operator on duty at Roma railway station on Saturday, Eric Kevin Thomas, told the board that Wallumbilla station-master, Walter May, reported the collision by telephone at 6.15am. Thomas said May told him that the Westlander had overshot the signals. He (May) said that both the home and distant signals were at danger, and this could be verified by a lad named Lewis who was on the platform seeing some people off. Giving evidence at Wallumbilla, David Bassingthwaighte, grazier, said he saw a signal “straight out” against the Westlander.

No Whistle

He said there were no waning whistles as the Westlander approached the station. When the inquiry opened, Roma solicitor, Mr. R. B. Taylor, sought permission to represent Westlander driver William George McDougall, 35, of Crystal Street, Roma, on behalf of the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Engineers.

Inquiry chairman (Mr. G. T. Foord) ruled that this was not permissible. Mr. T. H. Gould, board member representing the locomotive running men, protested strongly. He said that there was nothing in the Railway Act to prevent Mr. Taylor’s appearance as it was a public inquiry.

Mr. Gould demanded that there should be an adjournment while advice was sought from the Crown Law Office, Brisbane.

After a short adjournment, Mr. Foord announced that a ruling was being sought in Brisbane. Just before the luncheon adjournment, Mr. Foord read a telegram advising that Mr. Taylor was entitled to appear, and directly cross-examine witnesses. Board members are Chairman Mr. G. T. Foord (Railways General Manager), Mr. W. A. Castley (chief mechanical engineer, Ipswich), Mr. H. Walker (chief engineer, Brisbane) and employees representatives Mr. T. H. Gould and Mr. A. F. Carroll.

 

Wallumbilla Disaster Inquiry Continues

 

It was very difficult for guards to see signals through the lookouts on the type of van used on the Westlander, the open railway enquiry into last Saturday’s railway disaster at Wallumbilla was told yesterday. The witness, Alfred Alec Buchanan, Roma district railway superintendent, said guards opened doors to view signals. The lookouts in the Westlander vans worked on a mirror arrangement. Five people died when the Westlander (known as 8S) crashed into the Western Mail (known as 19 Down).

Eric Kevin Thomas, the first witness, said he was shift operator on duty at Roma station last Saturday from 12.30pm to 7.45a. At 6.15am he received a call from Wallumbilla. He thought it was driver Ibell, who first spoke and told him that there had been a smash at Wallumbilla. Ibell feared that many people had been injured, and said to get the ambulance and doctors down straight away. Thomas said that Mr. May, assistant station-master at Wallumbilla, then came to the phone and verified the statement. He told him that the Westlander had collided with the Western Mail at the platform.

Signal Position

Thomas said that after telephoning the ambulance and doctor and the district superintendent, he spoke to Wallumbilla again. He said that May told him, 8S had overshot a signal and collided with 19 Down standing on the main line. May told him that both the home and distant signals were at danger, and that this could be verified by a lad porter, Lewis, who was on the platform seeing some people off.

Trains’ Times

In reply to Mr. Gould, Thomas said that as shift operator, he recorded the running times of the Westlander between Chinchilla and Roma, and actually had compiled a complete record of times of the Westlander from Chinchilla to Yuleba. He said that the Westlander left Chinchilla at 3.20am on Saturday, 12 minutes late. It was into Miles 8 late, out 9 minutes late, and through Yuleba eight minutes late at 5.54am.

Thomas said that the Western Mail left Roma on time at 5.15am and arrived at Wallumbilla at 6.8am on time; one minute was allowed for the crossing of the trains at Wallumbilla. On scheduled times the Westlander was due through Wallumbilla at 6.9am and the Western Mail was due out at 6.10am.Thomas told Mr. Gould that he knew that the Wallumbilla railway yard was not interlocked, and the station-master had to run from one end of the yard to the other to set the points. Thomas said that had the Westlander been very late, it would have been his (Thomas’) responsibility to arrange the crossing of the Westlander and the Western Mail at Yuleba. He knew the crew of the Western Mail personally, and considered Guard Phillips one of the best guards in the district.

Capable

Arthur Edward Mason who was relieving station-master at Roma last Saturday morning, said he knew the driver of the Westlander, McDougall, very well. He had always found him very capable, sober and helpful in every way possible. Alfred Alec Buchanan, Roma district railway superintendent, said he interviewed the crews of the two trains in the collision when he arrived at Wallumbilla on Sat. Apart from suffering from severe shock, there seemed nothing else unusual about their condition.

Questioned by board members Buchanan said there was no indication that any of the men had been drinking.

Crossing Time

Buchanan said that the station-master May at Wallumbilla, told him that both the signals were “at danger” when they were passed by the Westlander.

Buchanan said he had known driver McDougall for four years, and had found him a very efficient and capable officer when  he asked McDougall what had happened . McDougall shook his head and said he did not know what had occurred.

To Mr. Gould, Buchanan said that the time allowed for the crossing of the Westlander and the Western Mail at Wallumbilla, was one minute.

Mr. Gould: Would you consider this sufficient time? The station-master has to walk a considerable distance to the eastern end of the loop to let the Westlander through. You would have to get John Landy out there for that.

Buchanan said that the time factor would be no excuse for the driver passing the home signal set at danger.

Mr. Gould: It is encouraging employers to try to work to a timetable they cannot possibly comply with.

Buchanan said that he could not agree with this.

Mr. Gould: You encourage them to break rules and then flog them when they do it.

Mr. Gould told Buchanan that the staff at Wallumbilla could not possibly carry out the safe crossing of the Westlander and the Western Mail in the time set down.

Buchanan: It does not mean that they have to violate the rules of safety. The signals are there for that purpose.

Mr. Walker (chief engineer in Brisbane): It would take five or six minutes to do the whole of the work there, is that what you mean?

Buchanan: That is my estimate. I have not worked it myself.

He said that there was insufficient time allowed to cross trains at Wallumbilla. Trains were frequently late and it had to come out in reports on late running.

Van Lookouts

Mr. M. Prideaux (for the Guards’, Shunters’ and Conductors’ Association) asked Buchanan if he had received complaints from guards about observing signals through the lookouts on the type of vans used on the Westlander. Buchanan said he had received no actual complaints, but he knew it was very difficult to see through these lookouts, and that guards opened doors to view signals. He agreed that the lookouts in the Westlander van worked on a mirror arrangement. Buchanan said it was very rare when either the Westlander or the Western Mail left Wallumbilla on time. He told Mr. Prideaux he would not agree that Wallumbilla was a difficult station at which to cross trains, but it would take more time than was allowed because of the situation.

Buchanan agreed with Mr. Gould that a regulation which required a driver to accept the “staff” from the station-master and no one else was often broken.

After the luncheon adjournment, the board travelled to Wallumbilla by special train. After an hour long inspection of the scene of the smash, the board reassembled in Wallumbilla public hall to take evidence from local residents.

Michael Joseph Cuddihy, licensee of the Federal Hotel, Wallumbilla, said he saw the trains collide. The driver of the Western Mail was standing on the platform beside the engine at the time of the collision. He did not know what he was doing, Cuddihy said. He saw the Westlander approaching the station but could not estimate how fast it was going. After the collision, he offered the driver of the Westlander a drink of brandy, but he refused it. The driver seemed to be very stunned.

David Bassingthwaighte, grazier and stock and station agent, of Wallumbilla, said he saw the collision. He said he saw the Westlander approaching the station. When it passed the points to the loop, it appeared to be travelling faster than he had ever seen it before when it was going through Wallumbilla. He had seen the Westlander going through on quite a few occasions. There was no warning blasts on the whistle. A signal was “straight out” against the Westlander, Bassingthwaighte said. To Mr. Foord, he said he was certain the signal was straight out. He could not see a second signal.

Miss Mona Mary Redmond, of the Federal Hotel, Wallumbilla, said she heard the smash from the hotel. She was a trained nurse. She ran over to the station, and climbed in through the windows of the Western Mail carriages. The carriages were on a slope. “I heard moaning from under the debris,” Miss Redmond said.

She said she pulled seats and a luggage rack away to release some women. She then broke a window on the far side of the carriage, and helped the women through. On the platform she used sticks and boards to make splints, and ripped up sheets to make bandages.

 

Courier Mail Thursday 6 December 1956

 

Roma- The driver of the Westlander express had replied “I don’t know” when asked if the Wallumbilla signal was off, a witness told the railway inquiry here yesterday. The witness was Aubrey Vincent Albert Connor, guard of the Western Mail. He said he asked the Westlander driver, William George McDougall, if the signal was off and McDougall replied: “I don’t know.” Connor said he asked the Westlander fireman, Edward Andrews, if the signal was against him, and the fireman made no reply. Connor continued that the Westlander guard, James Phillips, told him that the signal was at danger when he saw it. Phillips had said that he looked out and pulled on the brakes when he realised that the express was not taking the loop.  Connor told the board chairman (Mr. G. T. Foord), he estimated that the Westlander’s speed was between 20 and 25 miles per hour. A Railway engineer gave evidence that the 197 tons Western Mail had been pushed back 152 feet from the point of impact by the 340 ton Westlander.

        A 17 year old porter at Wallumbilla Garth Lewis, told the board that he had seen the Westlander approaching between the home signal and the station. He had yelled “Get out” when he saw that there was going to be a collision.

        Roma hospital superintendent Walter Watson Feather, said that the Westlander driver McDougall told him that he had pains in the stomach “back down the line and should have pulled up.”

        Bevin Ronald Scott, assistant maintenance engineer at Roma, said that the line was straight for four miles 48 chains approaching Wallumbilla from the east. When a locomotive was at the distant signal there would be a clear view to the home signal, but the view to Walluil Road would be obscured by a rising grade. The home signal was at the crest of the grade.

        Scott told Mr. Gould (locomotive running men’s representative on the board) that the levers controlling the signals at Wallumbilla were in the open at the eastern end of the platform. It would be possible for any person to pull the levers without the station master’s knowledge.

        To Mr. M. Prideaux (for the Guards’, Shunters and Conductors Association) Scott said that the handle of the air brakes had been fully applied when he entered the Westlander’s guard’s van. He agreed that the guard did not have a first class view of signals through the lookouts in the Westlander van. The guard should have a clear view of the home signal from 40 chains away, he said.

        Walter May, Wallumbilla station master said that before last Saturday’s collision, he had found out from Roma that the Western Mail was on time, and that the Westlander was eight minutes late. In view of this he prepared to admit the Western Mail to the station. He said that it was normal practice to admit the first train to the platform, and the other train would take the loop. Often the Western Mail arrived, he went to the guard’s van. He arranged with the guard, Connor, to open the points at the Roma end of the station, and hand up the staff and staff workings to the driver of the Westlander. The reason for this was that it was a physical impossibility to hand the staff to the Westlander driver because of the height of the diesel. This was customary practice at Wallumbilla.

        May said that he told Connor that he would admit the Westlander to the loop. He could hear the Westlander “rolling down the line.” He could not see the Westlander approaching because of the curve of the platform, and several buildings which obscured his view. He had just left Connor when there was a terrific crash. “I was amazed to see a huge cloud of duct and two carriages of the Western Mail go right up in the air,” he said, “this was associated with a splintering sound.” May said that he ran to the engine, which by this time had stopped by the ramp. He said to driver McDougall, “Bill, what are you doing here? You have passed signals at the stop position.” Mays aid that McDougall replied: “Well I must have dozed off.” May said that he was amazed at this statement.

        May said that McDougall asked him if there were any people injured, and he replied that he feared there were people killed. He then drew McDougall’s attention to the position of the signals which were at the stop position.

        He asked McDougall if he had an official watch as he (May) did not have one himself. McDougall was in a dazed condition and did not seem to understand what he said. He took the watch from McDougall’s pocket and saw that the time was 6.13am. May said that he then ran to the office and rang Roma station, and advised shift operator Thomas of the accident, and requested ambulances, doctors, police, and breakdown gangs. May said he then arranged for assistant station master Richards to be called on duty immediately as he was a first aid man and could give valuable assistance to the injured. He also asked Lad Porter Lewis, who was at the station, to start duties. May said he instructed Connor and the Westlander guard Phillips to get ambulance kits and breakdown equipment from their vans. He then went around the injured to see what assistance he could give.

        To the board chairman (Mr. G. T. Foord) May said that McDougall was getting out of his cabin when he told him that he had passed the signals. The fireman was behind McDougall when he told him. Fireman Andrews seemed to be very dazed.

        May said that he had not drawn the attention of any other people to the position of the signals at that time. He did tell Lewis of their position. May said that the procedure at Wallumbilla was to admit whichever train was coming first to the platform. May said that he did not hear any whistle sound as the Westlander approached. There was a whistle sound at the time of the collision. This was caused by the impact and the breaking of pipes. It was a fine morning and visibility was generally fair. There were a few light clouds but it was not raining.

        May said that he had set the signals at danger about 5.32am. To his knowledge no one had interfered with the signals. It would be possible for an unauthorized person to interfere with the signals. May said that a number of people gave first aid to the injured after the accident. He thought everything possible was done to assist the injured. After the arrival of Dr. feather from Roma, arrangements were made to take the inured people to hospital as quickly as possible. May said that he pressed private transport into use to take the injured.

        Dr. Walter Watson Feather, of Roma, said he arrived at the scene about three quarters of an hour after the accident. He contacted Matron Reiken and the ambulance superintendent and found that they apparently had “everything under control.” Nothing more could be done for the relief of the injured.

        Feather said that he spoke to driver McDougall of the Westlander, who was suffering from shock. He would say that McDougall “was definitely not affected by alcoholic liquor.”

        Feather said that McDougall told him that he did not know what had happened. McDougall said that “back down the line” he had pain in the stomach. Feather said that McDougall told him that there were no hygienic conveniences on the engine for the driver and fireman. He asked McDougall why he did not pull up. He said that McDougall said he thought he should have stopped further down the line.

        Walter May, Wallumbilla station-master, recalled, said he could see the signals from the station half a mile away. He told a board member, Mr. Castley, that he could also hear the Westlander up to half a mile away, depending on conditions. The time elapsed between the first time he heard it to the moment of the crash would be about three or four minutes. He said that he left guard Connor to go up and admit the Westlander to the loop, and had just passed the first coach from the guard’s van of the Western Mail when the crash occurred. When the trains came to rest the first two carriages of the Western Mail were about opposite him.

        May told Mr. Gould that there was nothing in the regulations which permitted him to designate someone else to take the staff and hand it to the driver of the Westlander. However it was done for safety reasons. A man sitting on the points and trying to hold up the staff to the high cabin of the Westlander would be in danger of falling over. He admitted that the rules clearly stated that the officer in charge and no one else should hand the staff to the driver.

        May told Mr. Gould that there had been a change in the timetable for the crossing of the Westlander, and the Western Mail at Wallumbilla, during his 2½ years there. Under the old timetable the Westlander was timed for a seven minute stop at Wallumbilla from 6.4am to 6.11am. The Western Mail was timed to leave Wallumbilla at 6.10am but there was no arrival time mentioned. The Westlander was now timed through Wallumbilla at 6.9am.

        If both trains were running on time, the Western Mail would be admitted to the platform and he would then admit the Westlander through the loop with a green flag. It could take him five or six minutes to walk to the loop points. May told Mr. Prideaux that there had been many occasions on which the Westlander had been admitted to the Wallumbilla platform.

        Mr. Prideaux: What would give you the impression that the Westlander was coming into the loop?

        May: It could have been admitted by some other person.

        You mean by some unauthorized person could have been fiddling. It could have been that way. I did not know it was not that way until the crash. May said that he had checked the position of the signals with guard Phillips.

        Aubrey Vincent Albert Connor, Roma depot guard, said that he took the Western Mail out of Roma on time at 5.15am last Saturday. When he pulled into Wallumbilla, station master May told him that the Westlander was late. He replied that he could hear it coming. He looked towards the east, and said “There it is now.”

        Connor said that May replied: “It is in the loop.” He asked May who had let it in, but then the crash occurred.

Courier Mail Friday 7 December 1956

       

Roma: All three members of the Westlander crew declined to give evidence yesterday at the inquiry into the Wallumbilla rail disaster.

        Their action brought the inquiry, being conducted in Roma by the Railways Department, to a sudden adjournment. The Westlander driver, fireman and guard, claimed privilege under the Railways Act, telling the board that they objected to answering questions on the grounds that they might tend to incriminate themselves.

        Driver William George McDougall, Fireman Edward William Andrews, and Guard James Otto Phillips.

        The fireman of the Western Mail last Saturday told the inquiry that before the crash he ran towards the Westlander, waving his arms, and calling out. The witness, Thomas John Gordon, acting fireman attached to the Roma depot said that the Westlander “kept coming.”

        Donald Ibell of Roma Depot, said that he was the driver of the Western Mail last Saturday. Ibell said that he checked and oiled his engine when he arrived at Wallumbilla. Other members of the train crew were Fireman Jack Gordon and Guard Bert Connor.

        Ibell said that his attention was drawn to the Westlander by a remark by Gordon. He said that he was oiling a piston cup on the left hand side of his engine at the time of the collision. Ibell said that he had run across the line in front of his engine and was standing on the ground on the driver’s side when the actual collision took place. He thought that he might have been able to release his engine brakes but did not have time. He thought that he might have been able to get his engine moving backwards. He did not see the signals. He had placed his trust in the station-master on duty.

        Thomas John Gordon, fireman of the Western Mail, said that he noticed that the signal at the eastern end was at “danger.” After trimming the fire he glanced up at the signal again, and saw that it was “at danger,” and that there was nothing underneath it.

        Gordon said that he climbed down to inspect the left cylinder cocks of his engine. When he straightened up he saw the Westlander coming in just approaching the loop points. He called to the driver who was inspecting a left side piston “here it comes, it’s coming in on our track.”

        Gordon said that because of the closeness of the Westlander and its speed- he estimated 20 miles an hour- he did not have time to get into the cabin and reverse the train. Instead he ran towards the Westlander, waving his arms and calling out. The Westlander kept coming. When the movement after the collision had stopped, he climbed up into the cabin of the Western Mail engine through the window and began quenching the fire. Ibell came on to the engine, then went away and came back with a jug which was used to bail water into the fire.

        Gordon said that after he was satisfied that the fire was safe, he helped the driver to get jacks and pinch bars to work on the wrecked carriages.

        John Hainsworth, Roma locomotive foreman, said that he was in charge of the Roma breakdown gang which went to the scene of the collision last Saturday. When the gang reached Wallumbilla, the leading coach of the Western Mail was found to have penetrated 16ft into car two. The second coach had been telescoped by car one and was leaning at a 45 degrees angle. The fronts of the engines of both the Western Mail and the Westlander were badly damaged. The power car of the Westlander was derailed and the front portion was badly damaged.

        Hainsworth said that he spoke to station-master May at Wallumbilla, who told him that both the signals were at “danger” against the Westlander. May said that lad porter Lewis could verify this. Hainsworth said that he had also spoken to McDougall, who appeared to be dazed, and could give him no reason how the collision occurred. Fireman Andrews, of the Westlander, was in a worse condition, and could give him no information.

        Hainsworth said that he looked into the cabin of the Westlander and saw that the independent brake was on but the automatic brake was off. (The automatic brake controls the brakes right through the train. The independent brake is a brake on the engine only. Both are operated manually.

Courier Mail Wednesday 6 March 1957

No criminal neglect by Westlander Crew, says Coroner.

Insufficient evidence to lay charges

 

        No criminal charges will be laid against the crew of the Westlander involved in the Wallumbilla rail crash on 1 December. The Coroner (Mr. V. G. Kitt SM) who held the inquest into the crash, has made a finding of negligence by the Westlander train crew, but has not made a finding of criminal negligence. The Westlander crew was suspended soon after the accident but has since been reinstated.

        The collision was so violent that a buffer of the Westlander diesel locomotive was hurled over the roof of the station 150 yards along the road.

        [McDougall and Andrews were later reinstated as cleaners on a temporary basis and Phillips as a guard, also as temporary employee].

Courier Mail Saturday 9 March 1957

        Majority finding of the Railway Department board of inquiry into the Wallumbilla rail disaster on Dec1, places blame on the Westlander train crew. The board’s majority finding were that the Westlander driver William George McDougall was involved in the primary cause of the accident, and that guard James Otto Phillips, fireman Edward William Andrews were involved in contributing causes.

 

        

Summary

        The inquiry found that McDougall had failed to observe the obstruction ahead in sufficient time to avoid a collision. It also gave as contributing causes:

·                   the failure of guard “Phillips,” when working the Up “Westlander” on 1 December 1956, to take prompt action to have his train brought to a stand after the engine had passed the Up home signal in the “stop” position when it could be seen that his train was not being admitted to the loop by caution hand signal;

·                   the failure of Fireman Andrews, when working the “Up” Westlander on 1 December 1956, to pay immediate attention to and obey all signals at Wallumbilla and advise the driver of an obstruction (the No 19 Down mail) on the main line at the station. In a dissenting opinion, the two employee representatives on the board of inquiry, found that:

“…it is our considered opinion that this Railway Inquiry Board, as constituted under Section 127 of the Railways Acts, and functioning under the provisions of Section 143 of such Acts, has no power to find any person or persons guilty of any offence which has been either directly, or indirectly, the cause of, or has contributed to, the death of any person or persons, and any finding which in any manner convicts any person or persons of any offence, which may become the subject matter of a subsequent criminal charge is contrary to law, and a complete violation of the principals of justice.”

“Having regard to the aforementioned, we therefore find the Cause of Accident was due to train No 8S Up passing the Up home signal in the “Stop” position, although there is no evidence to suggest any hand signal was exhibited to admit 8S Up into Wallumbilla either to the platform or the loop.”

“Regarding the circumstances surrounding the accident, we are satisfied that something abnormal occurred in the cab of diesel electric locomotive No 1200 just prior to 8S arriving at Wallumbilla.”