Remembering the Polmont rail crash 40 years on and the 13 passengers who lost their lives

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It is a day that even four decades on many still cannot forget when a terrible tragedy took place on the rail line between Polmont and Falkirk as a rush-hour train crashed.

The evening of July 30, 1984 and the days afterwards saw this area in the headlines as the death toll rose and the full extent of what had occurred on the track unfolded.

A high-speed Edinburgh-Glasgow train hit a cow which had wandered on to the line, causing the front coaches to leave the track with horrifying results.

Immediately, a huge rescue effort swung into operation.

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Linda Gow, then leader of Falkirk Council, at the plaque unveiling in 2009. Pic: Michael GillenLinda Gow, then leader of Falkirk Council, at the plaque unveiling in 2009. Pic: Michael Gillen
Linda Gow, then leader of Falkirk Council, at the plaque unveiling in 2009. Pic: Michael Gillen

The damage was there for all to see: twisted rails, damaged carriages and personal belongings, including suitcases and clothing, littered the track, a grim reminder of what occurred on that fateful Monday evening.

But the human cost of the disaster, later to be blamed on vandals who had broken down a fence allowing the cow to get on the track, was greater. Of the 13 who lost their lives, the eldest was 64, four were in their 20s, one was a 19-year-old Dutch tourist and the youngest just nine years old.

First on the scene after the crash occurred at 5.55 pm were employees of Brighter Trailer Services at Redding Industrial Estate.

Disorientated survivor Ramsay Shields, 24, from East Kilbride had staggered through their door to look for help.

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Piper Bob Tait played a lament at the 25th anniversary plaque unveiling. Pic: Michael GillenPiper Bob Tait played a lament at the 25th anniversary plaque unveiling. Pic: Michael Gillen
Piper Bob Tait played a lament at the 25th anniversary plaque unveiling. Pic: Michael Gillen

Business owners Margaret and Jim Munro recalled sending their workers and two young sons, William, then 19, and Graham, just 16, to help with the injured.

At the time of the 25th anniversary, Mrs Munro said: "My husband phoned for help and they sent the emergency services to Polmont railway station but when the local policeman heard he'd made the call, he was able to tell them where the crash actually was.

"By the time they got there, we'd started to help people out. I went down but couldn't jump down the banking so went back to make tea. We were there until about midnight helping in what way we could.

"It was a terrible time and something you would never forget."

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Also helping on the night was Peter Johnstone, owner of The Answer pub in Reddingmuirhead, who were asked to throw open its doors as a refuge for the walking wounded. Eventually 150 passengers from the train were in the function suite, being given tea, coffee and comforting words from his staff and other locals who had come to help.

Although he didn't see the terrible scene of carnage, the publican never forgot the days that followed.

"There was an eerie silence hanging over the whole place. For three days after the birds didn't sing, it was all just quiet," he said.

One of the victims was Alison Hogg, nine, who was on holiday from Kenya, when she and her mother Jane, 39, became victims of the crash.

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Another victim was Colin McCallum, 39, an Edinburgh University employee with a PhD in physics who was on his usual train home but sadly lost his life.

His mother was a widow and he was her only child.

At first she thought that he had caught another train but as the time went and and he didn’t arrive home, her fears grew.

An emergency number for relatives worried about loved ones was eventually given and Colin’s family discovered he had been killed.

There were 61 people injured in the crash, one of those was Scotland’s first female Lord Advocate, Dame Elish Angiolini. At the time of the tragedy, she was only 23 and had just started her law career. Of the 20 people in her carriage, nine died.

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She later said the accident had a profound effect on her, encouraging her to “seize the day” as you never knew what would happen in the future.

It would be two days before the track was cleared and the rail line, one of the busiest in Scotland reopened.

By this time, it was announced that a public inquiry was to be held into the rail tragedy. Transport Minister David Mitchell told MPs that the inquiry would investigate the issue of push-pull trains, similar to the type involved in the crash.

The inquiry also called for the rail company to undertake an urgent survey of their track fencing, in order to prevent animals from causing a similar accident elsewhere.

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On the 25th anniversary of the crash in 2009, a memorial plaque was unveiled by Falkirk Council to remember those who died or were injured. It also acknowledges the efforts of the emergency services and railway workers.

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