Danger Dust

On its 150th anniversary, the crash will be remembered with a series of events and the dedication of a memorial plaque at Thorpe St Andrew. Beyond the anniversary, the disaster can also help us understand which people British society chose to remember, then and now, and how difficult pasts might be addressed.

The focus on the Thorpe crash obscured a deadly situation: working on the railways was far more harmful than travelling on them. In 1874, 211 passengers died on Britain and Ireland’s railways. In contrast, 788 workers were killed. This proportion continued deep into the 20th century. So why wasn’t more heard about staff casualties, at the time and since?

Some of the reasons why passenger crashes like Thorpe were such big news remain in effect today. They were undoubtedly spectacular, and often happened in publicly accessible locations, so people and press could get to the wreckage. They affected relatively large numbers of people at once. Crashes were also rare – railway travel was, and is, incredibly safe.

In contrast, railway worker accidents were not newsworthy. They happened daily, mostly in ones and twos and largely out of sight of the public. Though cumulatively far more numerous, they offered no spectacle.