Rail Accident Investigation Branch
Summary
At 18:05 hrs on Friday 29 September 2023, the steam locomotive Flying Scotsman, travelling tender first, collided with the Royal Scotsman coaches on the approach to platform 3 at Aviemore station on the Strathspey Railway, Badenoch and Strathspey. These coaches, which normally operate on the mainline railway, were due to be hauled on the Strathspey Railway by Flying Scotsman as part of a planned movement to Boat of Garten station.
The collision occurred at 7 mph (11 km/h) during a move in preparation for the coupling of the locomotive to the coaches. Two people in the coaches were taken to hospital as a consequence of the accident. The collision also caused minor damage to the locomotive tender and damage to the coaches involved, which were taken out of service.
The collision occurred because the driver was not aware of the proximity of the locomotive to the coaches and so did not control its speed accordingly. This was due to the drivers view of the track ahead being limited and because, immediately before the collision, no one in the cab warned the driver that the locomotive was approaching the coaches. The drivers expectation, based on previous experience, was that the coaches would be located further away from the approaching locomotive.
The Strathspey Railway Companys ineffective management of the visit of the locomotive to the railway was identified as an underlying factor.
RAIB has made one observation regarding the number of people in the cab of the locomotive at the time of the accident.
Recommendations
RAIB has made one recommendation. It is addressed to the Strathspey Railway Company and relates to a review of the arrangements for foreseeable abnormal operations, such as visiting railway vehicles and special events, to ensure that the risks are identified, assessed and mitigated.
RAIB has identified two learning points. The first is a reminder of the importance of train crew maintaining an effective lookout while driving on a line-of-sight basis and knowing who is responsible for maintaining that lookout. The second is the importance of complying with rules regarding the number of people in a locomotive cab and ensuring that roles during movements are clearly understood.
Notes to editors
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The sole purpose of RAIB investigations is to prevent future accidents and incidents and improve railway safety. RAIB does not establish blame, liability or carry out prosecutions.
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RAIB operates, as far as possible, in an open and transparent manner. While our investigations are completely independent of the railway industry, we do maintain close liaison with railway companies and if we discover matters that may affect the safety of the railway, we make sure that information about them is circulated to the right people as soon as possible, and certainly long before publication of our final report.
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