Was sent this: On Tuesday a class 170 unit was derailed (leading bogie only) at Croxton AHB crossing. The 170 was made up as a hybrid unit, it was made up of a 'One' unit and a Central Trains unit, the 'One' 170 had been involved in a crash at a level crossing last November at Swainsthorpe, and the Central 170 had been involved in a collision with a tractor near March in Cambridgeshire. While both damaged coaches of each unit were away being repaired it was decided to put the two operational halves together to form the hybrid unit. The train was driven by a Norwich driver who has had a suicide a couple of years ago and last year was almost derailed at Brandon (approx 10 miles from Croxton on the same route) due to vandalism. On Tuesday morning his train (the hybrid) hit the rubber matting [1] that is laid on the crossing at 90 mph, it had been reported to NWR [2] five days earlier. The front bogie left the track but nobody was hurt. The odd element to this story is that travelling pass [3] in the One part of the hybrid was the driver who had been involved in the collision at Swainsthorpe, even more odd was the fact that travelling pass in the Central part of the hybrid was the driver who was involved in the collision with the tractor at March! [1] The rubber matting here is the large rubber composite tiles that make up the road bit of a level crossing. [2] NWR = Network Rail [3] "travelling pass" is a member of traincrew travelling on a train as a passenger as part of their duty. Obvious really.
