The Dalzell Street Bridge Derailment: Moor Row, 1955

In 1955, near the Dalzell Street bridge in Moor Row, a dramatic incident occurred involving a small, powerful 0-6-0T (saddle tank) locomotive. This type of engine was typical of the specialised machinery required for the steep gradients of the local mineral lines, often known colloquially as the “donkey line”, when it derailed and overturned.

While it's difficult to source official documents, evidence clearly shows the engine lying completely overturned beneath the road bridge. The severity suggests this was not a simple derailment on the running line, but a violent incident involving a fall or roll from an elevated section of the complex track structure, such as the shunting yard or a nearby embankment.

The Moor Row Junction

The accident occurred at the interface between foundational industrial infrastructure and the community it served. The railway backbone was the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Junction Railway (WC&ER). This line connected Whitehaven to Moor Row and Egremont, with extensions to Frizington and later Sellafield. 

Moor Row quickly developed into Western Cumberland’s most important railway junction and goods yard. This crucial role subjected the village to constant, heavy industrial traffic throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Following nationalisation in 1947 and the formation of British Railways (BR), the line's industrial importance, particularly the Moor Row junction, remained high despite the overall decline of rail transport due to the rise of road haulage.

The local yard was vital for handling heavy mineral traffic. Historical accounts of similar high-volume industrial yards detail the intensity of operations, with records mentioning the shunting of over 1,250 wagons in a single shift. These constant, high-pressure operations characterised the environment around Dalzell Street in the 1950s. 

This context is essential for understanding the high operational pressures and mechanical wear inherent to the Moor Row complex at that time.

The 'Donkey Line'

The specific section of track involved, characterised by the curving embankment behind Dalzell Street, was known as the "donkey line".

This moniker reflected the physical demands of the line: steep gradients and sharp curves that necessitated the use of specialised motive power - "small but powerful engines."

• The demanding operational conditions placed unusual stresses on the rolling stock.
• The WC&ER utilised specific locomotive types for this duty: primarily outside-framed 0-6-0 saddle tank engines, designed for maximum tractive effort at low speed.
• These locomotives were robust but, by design, often had a relatively short wheelbase and a high centre of gravity compared to main line stock.

The combination of specialised locomotive design and the unforgiving terrain of the 'donkey line' created an inherently challenging operational setting.

When subjected to the sudden forces of continuous shunting over steep gradients and sharp curves, these heavy, concentrated loads made the engines statistically susceptible to minor derailments or catastrophic overturning if speeds or shunting forces were miscalculated. 

The 1955 derailment is thus understood as a tragic manifestation of the structural stress associated with operating heavy industrial traffic over rugged terrain with specialised, ageing motive power.

The accident location is documented at the railway bridge in Moor Row, which carries Dalzell Street over the former railway line, with official grid coordinates NY00451456.

Analysis of the Incident

The year 1955 was a period of considerable operational strain and safety reviews within British Railways, marked by national disasters like the Barnes and Milton rail crashes.

Although the Moor Row incident was smaller and industrial, it falls within this challenging period.

Mechanics of the Fall

The overturned engine displays characteristics consistent with an industrial tank engine: 

• The absence of a tender and the presence of small driving wheels suggest a short-wheelbase 0-6-0T saddle tank, exactly the type known to operate the demanding WC&ER mineral lines.
• These engines were designed for strength and low speed, prioritising traction for heavy loads on severe gradients, not high stability.
• The key visual evidence is the engine’s position: completely inverted across the track bed running below the road bridge. Crucially, the bridge structure appears largely intact.
• If the locomotive had derailed on the main line beneath the bridge, it would likely be upright or listing, not fully overturned.

The structural arrangement of the Moor Row yard and the 'donkey line' included the curving embankment behind Dalzell Street, indicating that the tracks approaching the junction were elevated.

The most credible reconstruction suggests the locomotive failed high up on an elevated section of track (perhaps on the embankment approach or a siding) during a shunting manoeuvre.

Due to excessive speed, poor track condition, or misjudged forces, the engine derailed violently and rolled or fell down the steep embankment slope before impacting the ground or the line beneath the Dalzell Street bridge, causing the severe overturning and concentration of wreckage seen in the Illustration below.

This necessary height differential explains the complete inversion and the magnitude of the impact.

An Obscure Accident

Despite its dramatic appearance, the Moor Row derailment does not feature in the major national accident archives or parliamentary records related to the 1955 rail disasters.

• This is attributed to its nature as a localised, non-passenger incident on a secondary industrial line.
• Major passenger crashes, such as the Milton derailment, necessitated immediate public enquiries by the Chief Inspecting Officer of Railways and generated significant press and parliamentary attention.
• Conversely, the accident at Dalzell Street, while a major local crisis that would have severely disrupted goods traffic and possibly resulted in injury or fatality to the crew (driver, fireman, or shunter), was confined to the industrial sphere. 

Its lack of impact on the national passenger network or high casualty numbers ensured it remained a matter for British Railways' internal Western Region investigation, thus becoming historically obscure in national records.

Dalzell Street Train Derailment Illustration