The Moorgate Tube Train Crash

On February 28th 1975 the London Underground rail system, or the "Tube" as it is known, suffered its worst disaster to date when a fully loaded commuter train was driven at full speed into a dead end at Moorgate underground station.
43 people died and 74 were hospitalized, and to this day the motive behind this accident remains unclear. The Moorgate Disaster is one of rail's great unsolved mysteries.....
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Although focused primarily on disasters, this channel is all about the interesting, the strange, the unsolved, the tragic. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.
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[@theravenseye9443]

REUPLOAD - original version was put into restricted mode by KZbin on the basis of promoting "self harm"...(?) The algorithm even sent me an email suggesting I seek help and gave me the address of the Samaritans....Hopefully this edited version will stay free from censorship...! channel support - buymeacoffee.com/TheRavensEye

[@TracyA123]

ROFL...so the algorithm thinx if you discuss some dude possibly committing the S 50 years ago then you are in immediate need of help...😂😂😂 Also...wtf? Ten years ago I made a video on how to make m-80's and blow up wasps nests...now I can't even call a fat woman fat without getting in trouble

[@theravenseye9443]

Yup - it's a sign of the times Tracy A....

[@ArcFixer]

Susan W=🤡

[@RobinsVoyage]

The same people who developed that algorithm and AI are the same people who believe AI and automated people movers will save the world. If they get their way, computers and such algorithms will determine how you speak, make an income, and even how you hold a public conversation. Can you imagine a drone monitoring a thousand conversations in a crowd overlooking some diaster and with loud speakers chastising any opinions heard it deemed offensive or against its programming? I had a flag once because I posted a video on another social media site, in a public group, of a woman reportedly 130 years old , and looking like a skeleton . I thought it was horrific and simplify reposted the video in a comedy group I'm in that said "Happy Halloween.". I got a flag for disinformation. Not because it was July, not for claiming that the subject of the video was the true King of Somewhereland, but because I guess at some time the video had been flagged by others for saying the woman was 130. That wasn't even the context of why I posted the video. It was just for a cringe or chuckle ala dark humor. But the Algorithm cited me for distributing disinformation..

[@PronatorTendon]

@@RobinsVoyage Get off social media, there's your solution

[@richardpotter712]

Driver Leslie Newson only passed out as a driver, 3 months before the crash and had driven the very short journey (2 miles) from Drayton Park to Moorgate over 180 times. He had worked for LUL for a number of years, previously as a Guard, before being promoted to a motorman. One theory was that he lost his bearings due to the repetitive nature of his driving route (Inattentional Blindness). Tube drivers were told that when they were approaching a station and they were not going to stop in time at the platform, go through rather than risk injury to passengers attempting an emergency stop. Newson may have done this, forgetting that he was at Moorgate and platform 9 was a dead end. This may explain why there was no attempt to slow the train down approaching Moorgate (as seen by passengers on the platform) and his hands were on the driving controls when the train hit the wall. Newson had on the same day nearly missed stopping at a previous station and this was mentioned by the guard and shows that he was losing concentration. Newson had previously served in the British Army in WW2 and lived with his family in New Cross and got the bus to work, like normal. He was smartly turned out, well organised, always on time and was known for his cautious driving. He had money in his pocket because on his way home, he was going to buy his daughter a car. He had everything to live for and there was never any evidence of a medical incident or suicide.

[@paulnolan1352]

Cheers Richard, the most plausible explanation yet. People speed on the roads why not the Railways?, nobody’s perfect even trained drivers.

[@nikkimclay5474]

Excellent explanation & most sense. They need to consider other factors in long haul or repititive driving in these cases, man ive lost attention myself on long boring roads.

[@GiordanDiodato]

nah it seems more like he had a seizure. they can happen to anyone without any prior history and don't usually leave behind evidence.

[@louisefarrar6037]

Sounds like the driver had a sudden medical emergency of some sort - like a heart attack or fit. Paralysis and seizures would explain his upright posture and why his hand didn't move, if he had no control over it. You do not need to have a history of it either for it to happen, it can just hit, especially as you get older. Plus if he did have symptoms he might not have mentioned them as they might have been too minor to concern him or people around him.

[@PrinceJohn84]

It's also possible that if he did have some sort of medical problem, perhaps he wanted to keep it under wraps to prevent it from affecting his career?

[@craigpridemore5831]

Yep. I don't care HOW determined you are to kill yourself, I just can't believe he could keep that upright position to the end - unless there was something medically wrong.

[@virginiaconnor8350]

Could've been a Diabetic emergency too. Whoever calls a seizure a "fit" anymore? The same people who called my friend who had Down Syndrome a "Mongoloid"? So horribly out-dated!!!

[@skapunkno1]

I was thinking the same but surely anything like that would of shown in the post mortem?

[@SoulDevoured]

@@virginiaconnor8350 yeah ya know some old people and non native English speakers use the internet. A simple correction would do.

[@melasnexperience]

I've heard about this terrible disaster before, and my theory is that the driver suffered from a complicated migraine. They basically make you freeze in place & "zone out" for a few seconds, making people prone to them unable to drive due to safety reasons. Like another comment said, it basically locks you into a thousand-yard stare. It also wouldn't have been a known medical issue in the 70s. I firmly believe that it wasn't an intentional crash & it's sad that so many think it was.

[@katim2644]

Epilepsy also has catatonic seizures that sound right.

[@ajudygarlandfan3019]

Evidence that came out last year shows previous “absence” episodes observed by his colleagues.

[@vicstick75]

Functional neurological symptoms might also cause this kind of thing, and wouldn't be evident at autopsy.

[@dfuher968]

@@vicstick75 Especially an autopsy after it took 4 days to free the pancaked body from the sweltering heat.

[@lornarettig3215]

I had no idea this crash was considered anything other than a terrible accident. Indeed very sad.

[@owenoneill5955]

School friend of mine died in this. He was about 18 years old. He called for his best mate that morning as they usually always travelled together. The other lad wasn't ready, so David went alone and died.

[@09weenic]

Condolences mate and RIP to all the victims 😢

[@ArmedSpaghet]

The survival guilt of that best mate.. jesus..

[@rositawest4279]

Sad.

[@chocolatechip12]

I think it's a bit disgraceful that the newspapers immediately leapt to suicide when all indications were that the driver was a decent and hard-working man. A seizure seems much more likely to me. It's a tragic case all around.

[@spillage9392]

Decent, hard-working peope can and frequently do commit suicide though. I don't think we can rule it out.

[@ChristineFisher123]

Being decent and hard working doesn't have a lot to do with it I am afraid.

[@andrewdeans3686]

Being 'decent and hard working' and being suicidal are not mutually exclusive.

[@ChristineFisher123]

For me...it is likely the driver committed suicide.

[@drats1279]

Your leap to a seizure isn't any more disgraceful than their leap to suicide. Neither of you presented any factual information backing up your leaps.

[@wesrrowlands8309]

He could have been having a seizure as not all of them cause you to convulse and it could have been triggered by so many things.

[@IamayMizono]

I'm going to agree with your seizure theory. I have a nephew who gets those kinds of seizures. He zones out, gets locked up, and doesn't respond to any kind of stimuli. He also gets what his mom calls "head drop seizures" whereas during this time he stops responding to stimuli and he loses strength in his neck and his head falls until it hits something.

[@debraodonnell6681]

I agree I'm epileptic with full body seizures yet 3 weeks ago I had fits that only affected my arms and hands

[@jessicamilestone4026]

After watching this excellent video I watched another documentary on this disaster and in they interviewed a psychiatrist who stated that the most likely cause of the crash was that the driver had had a non-epileptic seizure. He said that would be consistent with eye witness reports that he was upright and rigid, staring straight ahead, not responding to anything that was going on around him.

[@daviddunsmore103]

That's still pretty scary though, because how do we screen for that condition at medical exam time? 😱 Clearly, this tube train driver must've passed numerous medical tests to have been doing the job. Still though, he slipped through and so much death and suffering ensued.

[@stephenlee5929]

@@daviddunsmore103 I think the main way we screen for this is what we have done. We set up systems which detect the potential crash early, and bring the train to a halt before it does crash. Put in automatic overrides to the power and brakes. For the victims RIP. For the rest of us, remember, its very rare, but we should try to make it rarer, by understanding what might have caused it and mitigating a similar future event.

[@DeLorean4]

His route only covered 4 stations, nearly identical tunnels, and he would go through them 120 times. I've done similar repetitive work, and sometimes I'd daydream and my brain would just mess up. The strangest occurrence was when I was standing by a moving conveyor, and nearly made myself fall because my brain for an instant thought that the conveyor was stationary, and that I was the one moving backwards. I feel the driver was really looking forward to the end of his shift and just put his mind into "let time pass" mode. I'm lucky my little mistakes would at most only affect me in a small way, I feel terrible for the driver and the other victims.

[@dukenukem5768]

I was a young engineer in the post-crash investigation. We drove a test train in and out of Moorgate multiple times, braking at the last moment (a bit scary) to see if there was any anomaly that might have been a factor. The station still stank of death and antiseptic. There was no "cover-up", we were all mystified. My opinion is that he was day-dreaming about the car he would buy later. That service was a boring shuttle back-and-forth between five stations. Maybe it was relevant that one of them, Essex Road, was passed without stopping on Sundays, so perhaps he thought he was passing it and it was a Sunday. However, when entering Moorgate his train was routed over some bumpy points and crossings which should have woken him up.

[@29brendus]

Very likely the best explanation I have seen.

[@GiordanDiodato]

@@29brendus I'm thinking he may have had a seizure

[@29brendus]

@@GiordanDiodato Yes, more than likely

[@Thirsty_Fox]

Very sad disaster and my heart goes out to everyone affected. My grandparents survived a tragic train accident in 1942 near the capital of Canada in a small town called Almonte, which gets very little coverage. A fully-loaded passenger train went into another passenger train stopped at the station. Even here it's a little-known event.

[@theravenseye9443]

Thanks for the info - I will look into that.

[@daviddunsmore103]

I grew up in Ottawa and only learned about the Almonte crash a few years ago while reading up on railway history. I think I briefly visited the monument to the crash, and if I recall correctly, there's a song about it. Didn't the accident happen right around Christmas time?

[@drskull9]

We had a bus driver here in Erie have a Stroke, froze in place and couldn't move, he was only 53 years old and plowed through several cars before coming to a stop. Scary thing is he survived, but was completely aware of what was happening, but wasn't able to move a muscle to stop it. Now a forensic pathologist could look at the driver's brain and tell things like that. In 1975 it may as well have been the dark ages as far as imaging goes.

[@waddsbadds]

I remember this day very vividly, because I was working in the lab at King's College Hospital in Camberwell, Southeast London, and we were put on high alert to expect multiple casualties, and a lot of lab tests. As it was, though, with King's being a bit far away, the casualties were taken to hospitals closer to the disaster scene

[@JMoruzzi]

That the driver didn't raise his hands at the final moment is for me the crucial detail. I remember hearing about one of the few people to survive a suicide attempt off the Golden Gate Bridge. He said in the moments before he let go of the railing all his problems seemed insoluble, but once he started to fall suddenly all of his problems seemed to have solutions except for one: that he had let go of the railing. Even the most dedicated suicide has an automatic self-preservation instinct kick in at the final moment. The Moorgate driver didn't, hence it wasn't suicide.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

One way or another, it was a medical episode... maybe a stroke, some sophisticated derivative of a migraine, or a relative to epilepsy where you "freeze up" or "zone out" sometimes for seconds, and sometimes minutes at a time... He was middle aged, and around 40 or 50 is a time when some certain conditions start to catch up on you or nature just has a cruel tendency to "take things away" as time goes on... There isn't enough left for scouring the evidence to figure it out, but if I was betting, that's where the smart money would go. ;o)

[@Wisdom-Nuggets-Tid-Bits]

What a bunch of bullocks!! People will swallow anything now.

[@paulbroderick8438]

Guard decided he was 'bored' and decided to desert his post and read a newspaper! What could possibly go wrong?

[@paulpantano9170]

He had a micro sleep this accident was one of the leads which discovered this symptom and it lead to the formulation of fatigue rostering principles

[@imapaine-diaz4451]

I passed through Moorgate that morning on my way to work in Ilford about ah hour before this tragedy. Always will be thankful for my luck.

[@johncox2865]

No. The driver was the first victim. The first one to die. Even a suicidal person would raised his hands in a defensive posture at the last instant. I think he was either paralyzed or dead when the onlookers saw him go by. And, there is no way that investigators could have ruled out mechanical failure from the evidence found in that tangled wreck.

[@uzaiyaro]

I remember that a competitor (Plainly Difficult) also did a video on this. A very well done video, and I’ve watched it a few times, but you’ve given little bits and pieces of extra information here and there. Good stuff! I’m happy to have another creator like you in my subscribed family.

[@theravenseye9443]

Thanks for the sub - I will have a look at the Plainly Difficult video too, he probably has other bits of info there that I missed...!

[@uzaiyaro]

@@theravenseye9443 yeah, he does go into a bit more technical detail on this and other videos he’s done. Both videos are very good though! There are also details in this one not in the PD video.

[@shallendor]

That is why it is great to see a disaster covered by multiple different people!

[@punchdrunkassassin]

@@shallendor agreed. I follow PD and Fascinating Horror as well as this channel and I really like and respect all their different approaches to reporting, and what key details stick out to each of them. It's good to get varied viewpoints!

[@JeffKopis]

​@@punchdrunkassassinI thoroughly enjoy all 3 channels as well. PD's John MUST be a mechanical engineer, as his grasp of complex systems (and excruciating minutiae) is unmatched. But that can sometimes become tedious.

[@franzjohnston]

As a student in London 72 -75 I remember this so well as I often took that line back to my digs! It made a deep impression on me as the news came through and as you mentioned, the bravery and determination of the rescuers was unparalleled. All these years later, I still am affected when I hear the word Moorgate and remembering that dreadful day all those years ago. Thank you for your analysis and keeping the event for rememberance.

[@peterbrown6224]

The rescuers must have worn it for the rest of their lives.

[@franzjohnston]

@@peterbrown6224 indeed!....their testimonies were extremely harrowing!

[@esterherschkovich6499]

Remember this😪Was at The London Hospital...poor souls...tragic.

[@antonysmith9173]

These stories of tragedy are always so heartbreaking and horrific. My heart goes out to all the victims of these terrible events. But how the people of the Emergency services deal with the sights they must see is WAY beyond me. My deepest respect to them.

[@theurchin65]

Interesting. I've watched several of these mini-documentaries on The Moorgate Tube Train Crash, but you're the first to mention the involvement of the young guard. Thank you.

[@JeffKopis]

Agreed. This is the first time I can recall hearing of the young man who abandoned his station, thus eliminating the one fail-safe or "fuse" in the system. Most unfortunate.

[@ExperimentIV]

an absence seizure would fit his symptoms and also explain his lack of awareness of the issue when it happened before (he was conscious again in time that first time, though), as well as explain his continuing to be able to hold down the dead man’s switch in spite of an ongoing medical emergency. absence seizures are just like that. i genuinely don’t think he was the type of person to do it with malice or out of depression, considering everyone else’s testimonials.

[@taxus750]

Thank you for compiling this video, the explanation and the straightforward narration. Among all the reasoning and questioning as to why this horrible crash occurred, perhaps the one thing that sent a chill up my spine was the comment you made @8:25 - that some survivors (who'd been trapped for hours and in considerable pain) had to have limbs amputated to get them out. My utmost respect to both the survivors and those rescuers who had to go through that.

[@arnoldhenry]

What happened to the guard who was reading a newspaper and wasn't at his post? He's also at fault because he wasn't where he was supposed to be. Plus, in my opinion, I think the driver had some type of medical problem that could have prevented him to stop. Plus, the guard should have use the emergency brake if he was at his post.

[@kyliepechler]

Yes, many of those who lost their lives could have been saved, if only the Guard had been in the Guard section and therefore, been right next to the Emergency brake.

[@cerneuffington2656]

@@kyliepechler The guard is there to open and close the doors. It's not his job to overrule the driver. Although he wasn't at his post, he is in no way responsible for the crash.

[@kyliepechler]

@@cerneuffington2656 The Emergency Brake is there for a reason. If the driver is ever incapacitated, say from an unexpected medical condition, that is why there is a train Guard there, to activate the Emergency Brake.

[@cerneuffington2656]

@@kyliepechler If the driver was incapacitated, the deadman's handle would've been released and the train would automatically come to a stop. But this was an extraordinary situation, where an "incapacitated" train driver was able to hold down the handle and keep train moving. I still wouldn't rule out suicide. The guard may have been able to pull the emergency brake lever, but it's ultimately the drivers job to stop the train at a station. And most Tube trains no longer have guards.

[@kyliepechler]

@@cerneuffington2656 Yes, but it still doesn't negate the fact that if the guard on this train was where he should have been, he would have noticed that the train was not slowing down to prepare for the stop at the station, and been right next to the Emergency Brake to activate it - regardless of why the Driver still had his hand on the deadman's handle right to the end. I believe it may have been on purpose because the passengers at the station all said that he appeared to be looking straight ahead and appeared normal.

[@cmonkey63]

I reckon the poor driver suffered a stroke as the train entered the station. By all accounts he was a calm and conscientious man, who would have reacted to something like that with quiet alarm. It's the simplest explanation for me.

[@boulecoq1700]

I read a book about the disaster called Moorgate, an Anatomy of a disaster. It was very sad as well as an extremely good account of what happened . I remember one particular part when the fire services had been in the tunnel for hours when a city gent type squeezed along between the wreckage and the tunnel wall asking to be excused as he made his way from the front of the train still wearing his bowler hat and carrying his briefcase and umbrella. Nobody knew who he was and he was never seen or heard from again.

[@southpakrules]

I also think of a medical emergency. And with the train traveling at 40 mph, the station's waiting passengers couldn't have THAT good of a view of the drive's condition anyway.

[@drats1279]

damn, why didn't the investigators back then think of that? you're a genius.

[@southpakrules]

@@drats1279 Because I told them.

[@stanislavczebinski994]

They could - no problem. Back in the mid 90ies, a Tornado jet flew 30 meters above my school - I could see the pilots' face - albeit not in detail.

[@southpakrules]

@@stanislavczebinski994 "not in detail"

[@stanislavczebinski994]

@@southpakrules Exactly. Not in detail. Firstly, that thing did at least 100kph, almost blowing the windows of our classroom out. Secondly you can't see much of their faces due to helmet and mask in the first place. The point is: At 65kph you CAN see if somebody is sitting upright and looking straight ahead - or if he had collapsed and is unconcious. That is the whole point. The most probable cause has been mentioned above btw..

[@ArchTeryx00]

It's been said many times but I think the most likely explanation was an undiagnosed neurological condition. Even with modern techniques these can be very difficult to diagnose and pin down - the brain is an extremely complex organ and we just don't know a lot about it. Now add to that the famous British stoicism and even the driver may not have been aware he was having neurological events - call them fits, seizures, complex migraines, auras. Many causes, some more difficult to find than others. It really looks to me like he had a neurological event at the wrong time, his brain seized up and the crash occured. He may not even have known what was happening at the moment of impact. And a transient nerological event would *not* have been visible in an autopsy. Even a major event like a stroke might not have been visible in an autopsy after a body that had suffered extreme blunt trauma had been baking for 4+ days in 45C+ heat. Essentially, he committed involuntary, accidental suicide, and I think he would have been horrified to know how many people went with him when he had his fatal event. The only way to prevent accidents like these are automatic train control devices, and I''m glad the Tube has them now. This kind of accident, at least, will never happen again.

[@Guangrui]

agree in full

[@paulnolan1352]

Pure conjecture, we will never know. Too many ifs buts and maybes.

[@markianclark9645]

No Paul...Archibald has the most accurate assessment of the unknown factors of all the uninformed keyboard and mobile phone commenters here...most likely a neurological malfunction in driver brain...it's believed he had wartime shellshock trauma..and untreated as was the norm after the war.. we'll never know of course..as for preventing any repeat of this nature.. Archibald is correct the automatic Train brake system was implemented..still took several more years to reach the whole network though..but by the time I joined LT underground in Feb 1980..5years after this tragedy..."Train Stops" as they were abbreviated to were universal..whether they've save any lives is debatable..I doubt it..suicides still occurred at regular intervals for decades since..speed restrictions play a far greater role in saving life coupled with Train Stops..that means the Train stop is speed activated..or rather deactivated when under certain speeds..ie 10MPH..but if you "Hit" a Train Stop at 40+ the train will still carry on past a platform despite full braking..I should know..but they're the best safety feature possible..

[@ArchTeryx00]

@@markianclark9645 Thank you. The last thing I wanted to do was jump on the "it's the driver's fault" bandwagon without some very clear evidence. The evidence that exists suggests murder-suicide was extremely unlikely. The rigid look on the driver before the crash isn't definitive evidence, but it is VERY evocative of a fugue state. That can be caused by any one of a number of neurological breakdowns. He may not even have had any warning signs that such a thing was going to occur until it was far too late. I really don't think he killed himself and those people. I think he was incapacitated at the worst possible time. RIP to the driver and the victims. 😞

[@makiwa]

Tragic..... Although I was living as a teenager in Richmond near London at the time I cannot remember ever hearing about this before watching this Video today! But there again I had just lost my Mother weeks before and I suppose as a young boy everything else seemed inconsequential. But how terrible! I'm shocked! Truly shocked!

[@Edward1312]

I reckon the driver became disorientated due to lack of concentration on a boring stretch of track and thought he was further back on the line when he passed into the tunnel.

[@RonHutchCraft2]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned heart failure as a likely reason he was so inactive during the final moments, he was likely dead well before the point of impact. it makes perfect sense.

[@gregb6469]

The way Newson was seen just sitting there motionless as the train went through the station sounds like he had just suffered a stroke, and was unable to move.

[@ashishjoshi8148]

A tragic case all around. RIP to all those innocent victims.

[@Onora619]

I wonder if he had a seizure. I have epilepsy and I'm not allowed to operate heavy machinery at the best time. If he had an undiagnosed epileptic condition, and depending on the type of seizure, he could have had one and been completely awake but unaware. It's basically like the lights are on but nobody's home.

[@c.w.8200]

My grandfather had epilepsy and he operated cars and tractors anyway because he was a farmer and what was he supposed to do. I hope public transport drivers and pilots get enough check ups today to prevent situations like this. I think I once read about a pilot becoming unconscious during a flight but luckily they work in pairs, unfortunately on the underground they don't.

[@philippal8666]

Partial incapacitation. It happens in pilots, where under stress people ‘freeze’ & won’t remember it afterwards. But can make seemingly purposeful movements (seemingly, because they often don’t make sense). It could be something like thinking someone is about to jump, thinking the light ahead is an oncoming train. We’ve al had those heart stopping moments, just not with this much at stake. It’s why there was a guard, because this phenomena and others are so common. It’s why we have two pilots, two engines. Two ferry drivers. It happened on the New York ferries, it’s happened in Aeroplanes, I’m sure it causes crashes in cars. It’s a natural mechanism to protect us from the predator in our peripheral vision. A burst of overwhelming adrenaline. Freezing may solve one problem but causes others. The guard isn’t mentioned. For whatever reason, whatever happened to the driver, That is EXACTLY what the guard was employed for. Ok it’s a dull job waiting for your driver to potentially need you as the safety back up. Whatever the driver did or didn’t do, the guard is definitely negligent.

[@historytank5673]

fair point

[@philipsanders7694]

It's not a case that will ever be solved, however nothing can now be gained by pointing fingers at the guard, considering he was a young guard with not too much experience is it really helpful to blame him? He at least had the balls to say yes I was not at my station, but was reading a newspaper instead

[@historytank5673]

@@philipsanders7694 I understand that sistuation and really what could he have done? Their would of been few visual cues as to the fact the trains overshooting the station all of which provide little time for him to apply the breaks. But it’s still worth mentioning it as he was neglecting his job

[@philipsanders7694]

@@historytank5673 I still don't see the point in saying he was negligent, the person who allowed him to be a guard, was he to blame?

[@historytank5673]

@@philipsanders7694 I mean in his job is to be the final safety line, again he had not much of a chance to drastically change the fate of the train. But he was still not doing his job properly so while I don’t think he’s to be blamed for the accident as again their was not too much he could of done and if he did end up saving the train it would be a miracle, it is still important that we do remember his failings as a guards men so that in future if a similar incident occurs we can be more sure that other guards men will be a little bit more attentive with their duties.

[@michaelmackey976]

ravens eye i really enjoy your content. im binge watching right now and i started as a fascinating horror fan . i feel your content is just as good or better . i like the 3rd party stories you add as well as the commentary you provide. both of you are great . keep it up as you are really under rated and i know it takes a ton of time to research this stuff but i sincerely appreciate it . again thank you mate keep em coming !

[@29brendus]

I'm sick of the censorship, the very thing that stops information from preventing tragedies like this.

[@dracorex426]

If the train didn't malfunctio, the driver didn't have any motive for an intentional crash, and the driver had specific plans that involved being alive later that day, the only explanation is that the driver malfunctioned. Specifically, either he was not in his right state of mind, he could not control his body, or he was dead.

[@wilsjane]

The engineers lighting was on in the tunnel in the section prior to the crash, it had been moved forward since his last shift. Two theories were suggested. The first being that the move led him to believe that he was further from the station, the second being that he was affected by the stroboscopic affect of passing the lights. In reality, the two factors could have been combined and he just froze up.

[@rodeo9837]

Thank you for your videos and your masterful retelling. Your voice and passion reminds me a lot of my late dad, it’s like listening to one of my northern family members lol. Love this channel

[@alipeacock3685]

I salute all the fire crews..massive respect and thank you for your devoted service x

[@bethsheeba1198]

Glad this video got through. Thanks for the post.

[@sentimentalbloke185]

It has to be a medical episode of some type. Even someone doing it deliberately would flinch at the last second when going full pelt into a concrete wall. Did the autopsy categorically rule out a possible seizure or something similar?

[@MegaMesozoic]

From books I've read the coroner definitely did refer to some kind of seizure that might have caused the accident.

[@sentimentalbloke185]

@@MegaMesozoic ok, it sounds the logical conclusion.

[@shawnmarengo494]

At 4:08, I know this is off the topic, but notice the innocence of the style of the graphic arts on the ads. I believe this photo would have been taken in the early 1950’s. Twenty years later, the advertising style would start to exploit sex, vanity, and pretentiousness.

[@cerneuffington2656]

The photo of the crashed crashed train, shows an advert featuring a white couple. Nowadays, It would be a black man/white woman couple.

[@kirbypurrs]

@@cerneuffington2656 and what is wrong with that? be very specific

[@cerneuffington2656]

@@kirbypurrs Who said there was anything wrong with it?

[@pumi63]

I vaguely remember the Sun or Mirror devoted the center pages to this disaster. What struck me was that there had been reports of a ghostly spectre in the tunnel preceding the crash. Some accounts described a ghostly appearance of a man in a suit with a frightening look !

[@scottlewisparsons9551]

Thank you for another horrible video! I remember when this happened. I had visited London a couple of years earlier and felt very sad at the time. All the best from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺

[@Straswa]

Great vid Raven's Eye. RIP to the victims and condolences to the families.

[@richthompson1234]

I was 14yo at the time and off sick from school with tonsillitis. I have a vivid memory of listening to the radio and hearing the hourly news bulletins of ever increasing upwardly spiralling death toll. Incredibly sad.

[@ronstreet6706]

My Officer in the A.T.C., Flight Lt. Gosling, was one of the fire fighters or ambulance people who attended this accident. He told my squadron of the worst day of his life, to use his own words. One of the boys, a typical chav, said that he would've taken the wallets from the deceased passengers, and if I hadn't been standing near Mr. Gosling, and able to take the drill purpose rifle from him, that boy would have needed a hospital!

[@MrRoundthetwist]

Your videos are incredibly well done sir!

[@davidbull7210]

Some info for those unfamiliar with the tube - this section of tube tunnel did reopen shortly after and services continued until the autumn of 1975, after which the line closed and was reopened as a British Rail line the following year. It is currently part of the Great Northern route and there were plans for it to become part of London's Overground network by 2022, although this plan seems to have been dropped.

[@jeffarmfield2346]

You've got a great voice for this type of video

[@jeffbaxter8770]

Very good narration, well paced and very clear. Thank you.

[@theravenseye9443]

Thanks Jeff.

[@jeffreyashton6405]

can you imagine the terrible disaster that faced the firefighters upon arrival those guys have and always be heroes every time

[@marlsberlin7716]

There's a lot of things that could've happened: a stroke (ischemic); an epileptic attack (the ones that happen once in a blue moon and the person just freezes in place- I have those); shock at realizing he hadn't done the right checks and he was now too fast to do anything.

[@pamelaleigh4225]

Excellent program! Kudos.

[@uncletaylorify]

As an American my first exposure to the Tube was the werewolf scene in the movie An American Werewolf In London. When I first actually got to go to England I made sure to ride the Tube.

[@kateemma22]

It's horrific to think something happened that stopped his body reacting, like a seizure, but that Newsom was still able to understand what was happening.

[@Doctor_Kissworthy]

I was 12 years old when this happened, and I'd travelled on the Tube a few times at that point, living quite close to London. I vividly recall watching the news reports and the horror I felt while imagining all those people crushed to a pulp within those carriages...

[@peterjones6640]

I remember this accident, I commuted into Moorgate most mornings in 1975, going to my first job, but on the Metropolitan line and had arrived sometime before this incident took place . My office was not far from the station but one particular friend and work mate came in on what was the North London line, but luckily that day was late getting to the station otherwise he might have been on that train. Subsequently the line was reconfigured for British Rail and they put in additional safety mechanisms to automatically stop a train before the end of the line.

[@cowboy6591]

I being a diabetic have gone into an eyes wide open immobilization stupor over a low blood sugar seizure. I'm not convinced this was a suicide, keep an open mind for his spirits sake.

[@sct913]

As I recall, there was no indication that the driver had diabetes - uncontrolled or otherwise. My theory about Moorgate is that the driver had undiagnosed sleep apena, a condition that wasn't well known about at the time, and had one or two episodes of microsleep in the moments leading up to the crash. This would explain both his rigid appearance to the people on the platform as the train passed them, and his failure to react to the impending crash.

[@crazyleyland5106]

@@sct913 That's Narcolepsy, when a person suddenly spontaneously falls asleep. Sleep apnoea is when a person briefly stops breathing in their sleep.

[@sct913]

@@crazyleyland5106 OK, perhaps the NTSB and others are conflating the terms/conditions in their reports. But I've always seen the concept of microsleep assoclated with obstructuve sleep apenea. Either way, these conditions weren't well known in the 1970s.

[@crazyleyland5106]

@@sct913 I know someone who has sleep apnoea, and he went through a phase where he would spontaneously fall asleep. Sleep apnoea robs people of a decent night's sleep.

[@sct913]

@@crazyleyland5106 Precisely. And I didn't mean to minimize the seriousness of the condition with my comments. A few years back, we had a serious crash outside of Boston on our light rail system, where one train ran into a stopped train at high speed, killing the operator of the second train. It was determined that one of the proximate causes of the crash was that the operator of the second train had previously undiagnosed sleep apenea. The theory is that the operator suffered several periods of microsleep, with the result that they missed two restricting signals (the Boston "Green Line" does not currently have any system to apply the brakes should a train pass a red light).

[@TileGuyJesse]

So what happened to the guard, Harris? Did he survive? If so, what was his take on the event? I'll check around for other video's.

[@wilsjane]

What is so sad, was that by pulling the emergency handle, any one or the passengers could have stopped the train. In those days, the brakes were held OFF by compressed air and the emergency handle released the air from the brake cylinders. This is the exact way that the guard could stop the train from any carriage. Unfortunately, guards had a poor work ethics and were prone to make mistakes, on more than one occasion opening the doors on the wrong side or the train. For many years, the unions argued that their ability to stop a train in an emergency justified keeping them. Moorgate changed all that, and guards were soon dispensed with.

[@mrkipling2201]

Yeah, that was so sad. Frustrating as well. If Harris had been doing the job that he was paid to do then nothing would have happened.

[@robertbilling6266]

There have been several of these over the years: Grantham, Shrewsbury, Moorgate and most recently Purley. In each case the driver has just blacked out and crashed, and in two of them a fireman has done the same. After Purley I hoped we would find out because for the first time the driver survived, but he remembered nothing.

[@andreakeeling9217]

You are an AMAZING story teller.❤❤❤❤

[@TheGryfonclaw]

I remember reading somewhere the dude had a seizure or something at just the worst moment.

[@colinhoward74]

Another situation may have been at play here , he may have lost concentration for a split second and then frozen in fear afterwards as he was taking the enormity of the situation , I have seen it in combat situations where you are trained against things like that but it happens , just a few seconds is all it takes , I once watched a Buffel driver drive into the bush at 80kph after watching another transport truck hit a landmine , the driver admitted he froze as he saw it , that , I believe is proberably happened , he saw his mistake and froze in terror . I am a SADF Infantry veteran , I know what I saw and experienced in battle . This guy was frozen in fear

[@Wisdom-Nuggets-Tid-Bits]

One of the most heart breaking atrocities I have ever heard. So so so so sad. I am so sorry for these poor people. God help their families.

[@samanthagomez7074]

Wow RIP 43 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 Horrible Story For Real 🙏🌹 Poor Innocent Victim's 🌹🙏😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😥💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔

[@mick3765]

is there any comment on record from the guard? I know he is not to blame, but he must feel terrible for being away from his post at the time of the tragedy. Fascinating video, thank you.

[@nikkimclay5474]

he is to blame, it was his only job !

[@meetoo594]

He was reading a newspaper instead of doing his job, yeah he shares some of the blame especially as if he was paying attention he could have seen the train was bombing past the station and pulled the emergency brake located right above him in the carriage. Now whether he could have realized what was happening, jump up and pull the brake in the few seconds before impact and stopped the train is debatable but the train might have slowed down a bit if he was doing what he was paid to do.

[@joycedudzinski9415]

Amazing to see a train station and trains filled with adults and no packs of teenagers causing havoc.

[@stefan2005stefan]

7:08 Why is he grinning ???

[@Caleb9C1]

My Opinion, and belief is that, The Driver lost concentration (for whatever reason) having just departed Old Street, I believe its here the driver thought he was travelling Northbound with the next stop being Highbury and Islington. Sunday Service sees trains pass through Essex Road without stopping. So after losing concentration, knowing he had just departed old street I really think he was under the belief the next stop for the service was Highbury and Islington. On the approach to Moorgate, Crossing over the points at a high-speed, I think the jult from the crossovers points into Platform 9 caught him off gaurd, and when he realised his mistake there was no time to correct it, or make an application to brake. Assuming decision to reaction time, and speed and Platform length, say 3-5 Seconds and before he knew it already going through the sandbank. I don't believe he wanted to take his own life, I also don't believe he suffered a medical emergency. I really do think with the multiple trips back and forth, lead Driver Leslie believe his position was different and drove at Moorgate believing it to be Essex Road. Of course this is just my theory, and it may not be possible.

[@TracyA123]

I have a real hard time believing he did this. Doesn't make any sense

[@drats1279]

"It's also very safe." Tell that to the families of the dead and injured.

[@scofab]

Well done (again).

[@jdb47games]

The guards of tube trains did not have a cab, just a removable bar separating the forward end of the last carriage. Between stations they would routinely desert their post and sit in a passenger seat, which was more comfortable than the pull-down seat by their control panel. They would nearly always be reading the paper and paying no attention to the train's progress. Their employment was a complete waste of money, and contributed nothing to safety. All they did was press a button to open and close the doors at stations. Harris's actions here were unfortunately routine.

[@sidevon6819]

When I joined London Underground in 1988 a year after the Kings Cross fire we were all shown and told about Moorgate and other disasters. One of the stories was about a WPC who had to have her foot amputated to get another injured passenger out. The injured passenger later died.

[@user-wp6eh1gi4z]

I used to live in Essex Road not far from the underground Station. As young kids in the mid 50's we used to sneak and not pay, down the station stairs to the platforms, it was a very deep station and take our "free" ride to Moorgate station. If you stood behind the drivers door you could see through the ventilation gaps in the door as it went along. I can remember the journey once the train departed Old Street Station on it's way to Moorgate as being very fast and the train pulling up abruptly once it entered Moorgate Station. Such a tragic disaster, hope they who perished are all at Peace

[@hopecollins9961]

I wonder if the Harris boy also died? If not did he get reprimanded for not being at his post to engage the brake. Seems to me he is just as guilty.

[@cerneuffington2656]

He survived and gave evidence at the inquest.

[@jessicamilestone4026]

Thanks

[@michellebostic681]

Maybe just day dreaming. You know how it is sometimes when you drive to work but then you get there and you don't remember driving at all.

[@joyhill7315]

And the kid reading the newspaper in the wrong place, instead of attending to his duty, has no culpability? That in itself points to a coverup of something............... really. Was he killed in the crash? Was he questioned? Was he held accountable in any way for what happened?

[@nikkimclay5474]

he must of died ? no word of his response ?

[@johnbaker5533]

Thanks for another video. Although I have heard of this incident before (most are still new to me) - still great to hear another take on it. Can't believe you still have so few subscribers, I have spread the word on other similar channels from time to time (fascinating horror, etc) and grab a pint on me :) . Keep them coming.

[@theravenseye9443]

Thanks a lot for that - appreciate the efforts you've made on my behalf and for the beer!! More content coming. Just gotta keep plugging on - I'm sure KZbin will pick up my videos one day....

[@johnbaker5533]

@@theravenseye9443 Finally happening. :) I've been watching all your videos since (just checked) sept 2021 and at last youtube pick them up to share with the masses. :)

[@ensignmjs7058]

As simple as it sounds, it may have a been a momentary lapse in situational awareness.

[@secretgirlnow]

I think he zoned out. Like you said, he'd take that route literally hundreds of times recently, pretty short route too. All it takes is for him to not pay attention ONCE and it's all over

[@marianneturner7267]

He also may have been asleep, undiagnosed sleep apnea. There are long haul truck drivers that can be asleep with their eyes wide open.

[@stephenpearson7903]

I use to travel from Manor House using the Pic Line changed at Finsbury Park onto the Victoria Line which run adjacent, then changed again at Highbury & Islington onto the Moorgate Line which again run adjacent. The Moorgate LIne (Northern Line) run from Drayton Park to Moorgate every 15 minutes. When I arrived at Highbury & Islington I got off the train and ran to try and catch the Moorgate train but it closed its door and I missed it - THANKFULLY. I caught the next train and was ordered to get off at Broad Street - the main Northern Line run through Broad Street which I caught to Moorgate. We were pushed round the station to avoid the Drayton Park - Moorgate Line on exiting the station there were so many fire engines police cars and ambulances. I remember phoning my home telling my dad I was ok but had to phone my mum who was at work because she would not believe I was ok until she heard my voice. I use to meet a working colleague on the platform at Highbury & Islington but he caught the fateful train. He survived was off for a while but died a year or so to later because of the injuries he suffered and complication crept in. Never used the line again even in its new format- then use to change at Holborn for the Central Line to Bank.

[@davedruid7427]

At 1:25, the Narrator mentions that the Tube is one of the Safest in the World. That was certainly put to the test during WW2 when it was used as Tunnels of Underground Bomb Shelters.

[@clohessey]

I was the fire rescue officer who removed the driver from his cab Leslie Newton had a wad of money in his pocket I never and the working conditions were horrendous.felt it was a suicide " The crash was caused by the air valve being opened and then closed" I was informed of this on a advanced course with the LT seminar at a later date when I was a senior officer I spent 3 days at moorgate THE CONDITIONS WERE HORRIFIC TO THIS DAY I HAVE NO DOUBT WHO CAUSED THIS ACCIDENT

[@nikkimclay5474]

Who then ? the air valve operator ?

[@mycatspethooman5590]

Sounds like a heart attack or stroke, I'd lean more towards the latter given that he was sat upright and strokes were not easy to ascertain too well many days after the event.

[@mfanwelikeit3760]

He may have had epilepsy, the was a lot of stigma about it back then so he may not have been forthcoming or even known

[@dianewilson5516]

The train driver must have had a medical emergency. I don't know what else it could have been! How very tragic and sad!

[@michaelmackey976]

I havent looked at all your stuff yet . i hope you cover hillsboro as well as maybe some tornado (dead man walking and joplin missouri type ) and perhaps chernobyl and nuclear stuff thank you again

[@alanhyt79]

The driver could have had a petit mal seizure just before the crash.

[@labyrinthgirl17]

It could've been road hypnosis, though I don't know if this can happen while operating a subway car. I've experienced it myself a few times, and I think the most frightening one was back when I was 19. I was about to drive from my grandpa's place to the grocery store, a couple miles down the road. I know the way well, still do even now, and it was like I teleported. One moment, I'm getting ready to turn out of the driveway from my grandpa's place, the next, I'm pulling into a parking space at the store. It felt like I blinked and I was at my destination. The only thing that snapped me out of it was shifting the car into park and realizing where I was. I don't remember anything about the drive and I'm thankful nothing happened that could've caused an accident. I don't know if that's what the subway driver experienced, but it's a thought.

[@elliottprice6084]

I've read about this disaster before. I really feel for all the victims and survivors as there was no real conclusion as to why it happened. But what happened to the guard? Did he survive? And was his failure to be in his cabin a contributing factor?

[@chriscross2001]

as the mother of an epileptic child, I’ve seen her have seizures where she just was sitting there, staring at nothing. I think that this poor man had a seizure and the truth is a seizure. Can happen to anyone at any time any anywhere and it can kill you.

[@antoniobranch]

"HE PROBABLY WAS ON AUTOPILOT. OPERATING THE TRAIN SUBCONSCIOUS OR SIMI-CONSCIOUSLY."

[@robertcronin6603]

So bizarre!!! ....it's just crazy that he didn't seem to try to avoid the impact... something's not right - but forever a mystery.