After the rail accident: Godmersham and Crundale Village Hall

It's almost 10 years since I was given a late-night cup of tea in this imposing village hall. It's Godmersham and Crundale Village Hall, and if you go to the gallery on its website you will see what an impressive space it is.

I was there because my train had been derailed - I may have blogged about it once or twice at the time.

Looking for media reports about the accident today, I found one on Kent Online I had not seen before:

Residents and Southeastern employees have been commended for their actions after a train derailed near the village earlier this year. 

The awards have been handed out following an incident in July that saw a late-night train hit a herd of cows that had wandered onto the track near Chilham. 

None of the 70 passengers on-board were hurt but they were taken to nearby Godmersham village hall afterwards while alternative transport was arranged. 

Now Godmersham villagers together with Southeastern employees working on the night, have been given a special executive award for their actions in the aftermath of the collision, that included offering shelter for shocked passengers in the village hall and providing refreshments for those affected. ...

Matthew Gee, the resident responsible for unlocking the village hall for the passengers, said: “When we heard the train had derailed nearby, we immediately wanted to help in whatever way we could.

“It was a real team effort between the Southeastern team and the members of the village hall and I’m really proud of the local residents who helped provide hot drinks and food for the passengers.”

The award also recognises the quick-thinking and conscientious efforts of Southeastern employees Warren Wills, Tim Hewitt, Michelle Harris, and Paul Harris who led the passengers to safety and train driver Daryl Ryan who leapt from his cab to halt an approaching train after realising the derailment had caused his own train’s radio system to stop working.

To get to the village hall, we had to climb down from the train, walk across a field and then wait in a lane for transport to arrive.

I travelled in a police van - in fact in the narrow compartment where they put people they've arrested - with Daryl Ryan, and he told me he thought the train was going down the embankment after it hit the cows.

Reading the official report on the accident, I am reminded how lucky we were that this wasn't a more serious incident:

The RAIB’s [Rail Accident Investigation Branch] analysis of the derailment path suggests that the consequences were mitigated by two external factors. The first was the impact with Trimworth Bridge, which deflected the train back towards the railway. Secondly, the path of the leading carriage was constrained by the right-hand wheels running against the inside face of the left-hand rail. These factors reduced the probability of the train falling further down the embankment.

I needed another cup of tea after reading that.