The Runaway Train: Armagh 1889

On 12 June 1889 a heavily-laden excursion train left Armagh for Warrenpoint, in Northern Ireland. On a steep gradient just outside Armagh the engine stalled. The inspector in charge ordered the train to be divided, but took no proper precautions. Ten carriages ran out of control down the gradient and collided with a regular train that was following. Eighty people died in the worst railway accident in the British Isles until 1915.
The book first sets the scene, then recounts the story of the disaster, and turns to examine the inquest and the trials of the unfortunate trainmen. A thorough study is made of the Board of Trade Report. Finally, the author deals with the Regulation of Railways Act 1889, which made Armagh the most significant milestone in the development of railway working.
This is the first full-length book on any Irish railway accident, and it is fitting that such an important accident should have been chosen. Full use has been made of contemporary newspaper reports, the Board of Trade Report, and the records of the Great Northern Railway of Ireland, on which the disaster occurred.