On the 11th of July, 1995, a train crashed through Largs train station, emerging into Main Street.
On Tuesday 11th July 1995, the 6.15am Glasgow train which was due to arrive in Largs at 7.15am, failed to brake on the wet tracks on its final approach into Largs station. The train driver, 25-year-old David Robertson of Grangemouth, quickly realised that the train wasn’t going to stop and ran through the carriages warning passengers to move away from the front of the train. Travelling at 20 miles per hour the 200-ton train crashed into the buffers before mounting the platform and travelled an additional 125 feet, demolishing Largs station and two shops on Main Street.
Local shopkeepers Alastair Still, a newsagent, and Jim Cooper, butcher, described the noise of the crash as being akin to a bomb detonating or an earthquake. Local residents just waking up initially thought there had been an explosion at Hunterston Power Station or an earthquake as the loud rumble was followed by buildings been shaken. As the dust cleared and the local people realised what had happened, they rushed to help the passengers.
Strathclyde Fire Brigade received the first 999 call regarding the train crash at 7.22am and within three minutes the Largs fire crew were at the scene. The first thing they did was to ensure that the overhead electricity cables carrying 25,000 volts of electricity were turned off along with the electricity in the demolished buildings, to ensure that none of the rescuers or passengers were electrocuted. They then began helping the passengers disembark from the carriages.
They were quickly followed by the voluntary fire crew at Skelmorlie, and within 16 minutes six fire brigade appliances had responded to the 999 calls, including the road rescue crew from Renfrew and the specialist heavy rescue crew from Easterhouse. Altogether, there were 40 firefighters and three senior officers working the scene, while police contained the spectators.
Using thermal imaging cameras, the firefighters checked the demolished buildings to ensure that no casualties were trapped beneath the rubble. A JCB was used to move the roof of the station sufficiently off the demolished buildings to allow airbags to be inserted to prop up the roof and provide additional space for the firefighters to tunnel their way through the rubble. A brief cause for concern was when they found a boot sticking out of the rubble and they thought someone was trapped but it turned out to be a boot from the clothing store.
Although the fire brigade didn’t have to deal with a fire, the collapsed buildings gave cause for concern and with each step of the rescue, they had to ensure that debris didn’t come crashing down on top of the rescuers or any people who may have been trapped.
One of those who nearly found himself trapped was railway guard Bobby Kerr who had been about to leave the station canteen when the train crashed through, demolishing one of the walls of the canteen.
Once it was clear that no one was trapped beneath the rubble, the JCB was used to remove the roof. On the Thursday after the train crash, the front coach was lifted by two giant cranes.
Thankfully there were no fatalities, although five people had to be taken to Inverclyde Hospital for treatment. Fay Wallace, Alison Harkness and Katherine Carrol were treated for shock. The train driver, David Robertson was kept in hospital overnight. He had been in the connecting vestibule between carriages when the train crashed. Rail guard James Tarres was also kept in hospital overnight.
If the train had crashed just an hour later, Largs railway station would have been mobbed with early morning commuters, and Main Street would have been filled with cars and people on their way to work. The situation could have been disastrous.
The two shops which were demolished were Lyn’s Wool Shop and Extreme Clothing which had been recently refurbished. As rescuers cleared out the demolished buildings, thousands of pounds worth of stock from Extreme Clothing was dumped into a skip. Following an internal inquiry into the crash it was recommended that drivers received additional training in breaking in wet conditions.