| Staplehurst rail crash | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Date | 9 June 1865 3:13 pm |
| Location | Staplehurst, Kent |
| Country | England |
| Line | South Eastern Main Line |
| Operator | South Eastern Railway |
| Cause | Engineering possession error |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Deaths | 10 |
| Injured | 40 |
| List of UK rail accidents by year | |
The Staplehurst rail crash was a derailment at Staplehurst, Kent, on 9 June 1865 at 3:13 pm. The South Eastern Railway Folkestone to London boat train derailed while crossing a viaduct where a length of track had been removed during engineering works, killing ten passengers and injuring forty. In the Board of Trade report it was found that a man had been placed with a red flag 554 yards (507 m) away but the regulations required him to be 1,000 yards (910 m) away and the train had insufficient time to stop.
Charles Dickens, 53 years old at the time, was travelling with Ellen Ternan and her mother on the train; they all survived the derailment.[1]
- ^ Wragg, David (2009). The Historical Dictionary of Railways in the British Isles. London: Wharncliffe Publishing. p. 90. ISBN 978-1844680474.