Background
Although the signalman on duty was ultimately responsible for the collision, there were several contributing factors. The layout of the section was complex, with four running lines and a junction between the main Warrington-Preston line and the Warrington-Earlestown branch line. Both these two lines carried heavy rail traffic. There was so much traffic in fact, that the signalman had a booking lad with him in the signal box. The booking lad's function was to keep the train register and use it to remind the signalman of the position of trains within the section at any time.
Read more about this topic: Winwick Rail Crash
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