Nhat the routeing policy overlooked
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A lorry driver had to run up the line waving a ch to stop a train after his lorry stalled on a ntinental-type railway crossing, the Hixon (staffs) in disaster inquiry in London was told on Tuesday. Mr. Philip Owen, QC, for the relatives of Mr. K. Blake, who died in the Nixon crash, said the rry "became immobilized" on a crossing at ominster. Hereford, in 1968. As it was stuck are the barriers lowered and alarms went off. e lorry driver then ran up the line with a torch. Mr. Owen was speaking on the seventh day of 3 inquiry into the Hixon crash in January this Sr when a Manchester/London express train iuck a transporter which was straddling the track. wen people died.
Mr. Arthur Holland, an MoT deputy chief enginr, said he imagined that the haulage company )uld know the route.
Mr. Owen: "The whole burden was thrown on the hauliers". "We cannot be responsible for the execution of the movements". replied Mr. Holland.
Mr. Stephen Brown, QC, for Staffs County Council and the Police, told the inquiry of a revised copy of the Highway Code which included instructions on half-barrier level crossings. The code stated that if drivers of heavy loads came to such a crossing, they should first phone the signalman to make sure there was time to cross.
Mr. Holland said he had no recollection of the proposal being circulated. He agreed that it would be possible to include on warning notices the time a vehicle had to get over the crossing.
Replying to a question from Mr. Morris Finer, QC, for Robert Wynn and Son, owner of the transporter. about responsibility for the execution of moving abnormal loads, Mr. Holland said: "We specifically say we don't have responsibility for these movements. We cannot understand why we are expected to take it on." Mr. Brian Gibbens, QC, inquiry chairman, said that one thing the Ministry's routeing policy overlooked in relying on a driver to assess the danger of crossings was that he might not know whether he was crossing a main track or a siding. This factor made all the difference to a long and slow-moving load.
Mr. Holland said the Ministry might well review the routeing service. adding: "We may decide we have gone far beyond any reasonable bounds in what we have been doing".
Earlier the inquiry had heard how instructions had been given, following a Ministry inspection, for the warning notice at the Hixon crossing to be resited last June. For the Treasury Solicitor. Mr. R. K. Kidwell said it should have been placed more squarely to the road at a better angle for traffic, but it had been moved to a position more parallel to the road.—