The Winchburgh Railway Disaster

Seventeen people died following a head-on collision near Winchburgh.

On Monday 13 October 1862, two passenger trains collided on the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway near Winchburgh. Repairs meant that only one track was in use at the time.

The collision occurred in a cutting near Craigton House. The drivers had little time to react after seeing each other on the curved section of line. Seventeen people died, including railway workers and passengers.

Local people and railway staff helped rescue the injured in heavy rain and darkness. Medical assistance was summoned from surrounding towns, and the tragedy became a significant event in Scotland's early railway history.