Winchburgh rail crash

The Winchburgh rail crash occurred on Monday 13 October 1862, a mile and a half northwest of Winchburgh in Linlithgowshire (now West Lothian). At that point, the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway passes through a cutting on a curve. On the day of the accident, only one line was in use due to track maintenance when two trains met head-on. The drivers saw each other when they were some 300 yards apart and managed so that their relative speed was down to under 30 mph when they collided. The driver of the Glasgow train leapt clear prior to the impact and survived though badly injured, but both firemen and the driver of the other train along with 15 passengers were killed and 35 injured.