On a fateful Friday night in November 1910, the quiet town of Ormskirk was rocked by a catastrophic railway accident that would claim one life and leave a lasting mark on the community.
The Collision: A Chain of Errors
The disaster unfolded at 9.39pm on November 25, 1910, beneath the Moor Street railway bridge. The Scotch Express, travelling from Scotland to Liverpool at over 50 mph, collided head-on with a stationary light passenger engine from Liverpool.
The stationary locomotive's driver, John E Hall of Southport, spotted the express hurtling towards him and desperately attempted to reverse. His efforts were in vain. The impact was terrifying, with witnesses describing an explosive sound followed by the horrific screeching of metal as the express train pushed the smaller engine along the embankment.
Heroism in the Aftermath
The immediate aftermath saw incredible acts of bravery. James Mellor Riding, a local resident, leapt over the embankment wall, snatched a lamp, and successfully signalled an approaching rail motor train from Aughton Park Halt. His quick thinking lessened the impact of a subsequent collision.
Dozens of Ormskirk men rushed to the scene to help free trapped passengers from the wreckage. Among them was Robert Kirkpatrick, a local shop owner, who was hailed as a hero for pulling an 80-year-old retired Yorkshire farmer from the debris.
Local doctors – Anderton, Pendlebury, Marsden, Acheson, Heald and Caregan – arrived swiftly, having heard the crash from their nearby homes. They worked alongside the County Coroner, Sam Brighouse, and his deputy, Mr F A Jones, to triage the injured.
The Investigation and Verdict
The official Coroner’s Inquest into the death of John Belman Goodman was held on Monday, November 28 at the Ormskirk Police Court. The inquiry revealed that signalman John Donaldson, a 49-year-old from Burscough Street with over 30 years of service, had made a critical error.
He had apparently forgotten the location of the light passenger engine and mistakenly given it the signal to proceed, leading directly to the collision. The inquest determined this was an accidental failing of duty, but not negligence. The final verdict was Accidental Death.
The crash involved about 50 passengers on the express. Remarkably, the drivers of both the express train, James Bibby, and the rail motor train, James Norris, escaped serious injury. Damage to nearby properties, including the Ormesher shop, was significant, with windows blown out and metal debris flung into buildings.
Recovery efforts were immense. Railway gangs from across South-West Lancashire worked through the night and the following day, finally clearing the lines by 2pm on Saturday, November 26. The 1910 Ormskirk rail disaster remains a poignant chapter in the town's history, a story of tragic error tempered by remarkable community courage.
