Postcard of Arbroath Railway disaster Dec.1906 - "The Overturned engine of the special train at Elliot"

The Arbroath train crash occurred on the anniversary of the Tay Bridge disaster, 28 December 1906, at Elliot Junction station.

A severe snowstorm had crippled the North British and Caledonian joint line, with single-line running in place due to an earlier derailment. The 7.35am North British express service from Edinburgh had been forced to terminate at Arbroath. Conditions meant it could not proceed, so it was decided that it must return to Edinburgh.

Despite the weather, staff at Arbroath had managed to get a local train running and had sent it on with a 15-minute head start on the returning NBR Express locomotive. The Express’s driver, George Gourlay, was cautioned to take extreme care and keep a good lookout for the train ahead. Gourlay, however, had accepted a couple of nips of whisky from a passenger to ward off the cold, and what followed would bring his actions under sharp scrutiny.

The local train was stopped at Elliot Junction station when the Express appeared, travelling at least 30mph. It crashed into the stationary local train, destroying the last three coaches. The locomotive engine mounted the wrecked coaches and turned over on top of the rubble, wheels still spinning. 22 people died, with at least a further 24 injured. Gourlay was sentenced to five-months imprisonment for manslaughter, his actions and speed in approaching the station deemed reckless. Due to the extenuating circumstances of the weather conditions and perceived negligence by the railway company in not appropriately responding to the snowstorm, the sentence was discharged.