Red for Danger: The Classic History of British Railway Disasters - L.T.C. Rolt

A compelling and compulsory read

I began as a Train Driver in Sydney (Australia) in 1983. A friend lent me a copy of this book at that time and I found it fascinating. Over the years I have never seen another copy but have had it constantly in my mind. I believe it should be a requirement for all Train Drivers to read this book as it explains quite clearly the development of the Safeworking Systems and how they have been continually modified to ensure the safest standards in rail operations. I am now a Driver Trainer and I intend to use examples from this book to illustrate to our newest trainees the importance of Safeworking standards. This is not just a book about railway accidents and disasters, this is the best book available about railway safety.

A classic, reprinted at last

But descriptions of individual accidents can be a bit short. If only because I would like to know even more about who, what and where in detail. A 500 page book would have been nice, and so much detailed knowledge is lost by now. A few more photographs could easily have been added, and in better quality maybe. If at all possible.
Imagine the days before long distance signalling, before electricity, when every time a stationmaster sent off a train he more or less sent it into the unknown trusting the engine crew and the next stationmaster to go by the book. And coaches being mostly wood, and lit by gas or oil ensuring safety was a fine art from the very first day. The point is they didn't always realise it.
Otherwise the book is so fascinating because it convincingly proves : "If it CAN go wrong, one day it WILL go wrong". Someone will do something utterly silly, something is not thought through. And sometimes it's an act of God and no-one to blame.
Also interesting for what it shows us about mere human error. A devastated man, discovering too late what will happen: "I've done it". It is another way to approach living human beings of another age, we meet them at their best or at their worst. Individual tragedies are not in short supply, and we often cannot help feeling sorry for even the most negligent.

Back to Rolt

This is my favourite book of all time but not this edition. It was originally written as a history of all major railway accidents in the UK (a few others are mentioned). After reading it the reader is given a good understanding how railways became the safest form of transport they are today. However, there are always lessons to be learned so other authors have added chapters to cover the accidents that have shaped the industry since Rolt's death in 1974. This edition is a throwback to the 1966 edition, so if you want to know more about Taunton, Clapham, Ladbrook Grove, Southall, or Selby, then look elsewhere.

A gripping tale of human fallibility leading to disaster

At first sight this book would appear to have limited appeal, being primarily aimed at railway buffs and those interested in the macabre. This is not however the case. This book works on several levels. Firstly it is indeed an excellent reference source on the history of railway accidents in Great Britain (also covering Ireland). Secondly, using railway accidents, it charts the developments of the safety features of modern railway travel which make travelling by train one of the safest modes of transport. And finally and possibly of most appeal to the reader is the way Rolt unfolds the tragedies before our eyes. In many cases the players in these dramas, be it signalman, driver or stationmaster are unaware of the impending calamity. But there are those chilling tales where the signalman, realising he has sent a train to its' doom can only sit in his lonely signalbox and await the ghostly shrill of a distant whistle and the crash of metal on metal. This book is a reprint of Rolt's 1966 edition (he died in 1974) and does not contain the update to 1980. This is not necessarily a bad thing because by 1966 most of the important safety features had been adopted to prevent the spectacular disasters reported by Rolt. The terminology may be a little confusing to non-railway buffs, and the use of diagrams would help the reader to follow the plot on some of the more complicated accidents involving changes of line and direction. Having said that these are minor issues, as read cover to cover, this book could match any Greek or Shakespearean tragedy. Thoroughly recommended.