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Nov 18, 2021

Operation Smash Hit

Hahaha - this is gonna be dark

From Wikipedia. The Free Encyclopedia

Operation Smash Hit was an intentional train crash that occurred on 17 July, 1984 at the Old Dalby Test Track in Old Dalby, Leicestershire, United Kingdom.

The crash, organized by The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) and undertaken by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL), involved a high speed collision between a 4 vehicle test train and stationary flatbed wagon.

The test, conducted to showcase the structural stability of a nuclear fuel rod flask in the event of a catastrophic collision, was notable for the forced participation and death of the five vehicles involved and for the international backlash that followed.

This article is part of a series on Locomotive Rights in The United Kingdom:

Locomotive Rights Movements in The United Kingdom

Pre-British Rail Locomotive Scrapping in The United Kingdom

Sentient Non-Locomotive Rolling Stock in The United Kingdom

Beeching Cuts

British Rail Modernization Plan

Mass Scrapping of British Rail Steam Locomotives (1955-1970)

British Locomotive Civil War

Woodham Brothers Ltd

John Cashmore Ltd

British Locomotive Exodus (1960-1999)

The British Locomotive Diaspora

Non-Standard Diesel Locomotive Purge

First Generation Diesel Locomotive Purge

Operation Smash Hit

Second Generation Diesel Locomotive Purge

Third Generation Diesel Locomotive Purge

DC Electric Traction in the United Kingdom

Withdrawal of First Generation Electric Traction in The United Kingdom

Rail Preservation in The United Kingdom

Heritage Railways in The United Kingdom

The North Western Railway

Skarloey Railway

Arlesdale Railway

Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway

British Rail Departmental Rolling Stock

Locomotive Experimentation in The United Kingdom

International Reactions to the British Rail Modernization Plans (1955-Present)

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 44/227

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/102

Locomotive Rights Censorship in The United Kingdom (1991-present)

New Build Steam Locomotives in The United Kingdom

Background

During the late 1970s and early 1980′s, significant public outcry against the use of nuclear power began. These complaints were wide-ranging, and extended to military nuclear weapons as well as civilian nuclear generating plants. Of particular concern to the British public was the safety of nuclear fuel rod flasks. These flasks, which carry spent nuclear fuel rods from power plants to the Sellafield nuclear fuel reclamation plant, are transported by train, usually through urban areas. This practice, while safe, (as of 2020, Operation Smash Hit has been the only recorded incident with a fuel rod train) raised significant concerns about the efficacy of a flask in the event of a derailment or collision. [1]

For more information:

Anti-Nuclear Movement

Anti-Nuclear Movement in The United Kingdom

First Generation Diesel Locomotive Purge

In order to turn public opinion in its favor, CEGB in 1980 organized a series of tests in which a “Magnox” flask pulled at random from the production line would be subjected to a series of impacts in order to determine its strength. [2]

Following a 4 year long series of tests in which flasks (which was filled with water to simulate the nuclear fuel) were set on fire, damaged, or dropped from increasingly higher heights onto its edge - the weakest point of the flask - the CEGB coordinated with British Rail to stage a final destructive test of the flask in a simulated train crash. The test track at BREL’s Old Dalby site was deemed suitable, and the crash was scheduled for 17 July 1984.

In order to maximize the publicity of the event, CEGB invited an estimated 1500 attendees from local media and international scientific organizations, including the BBC, The Daily Mail, The Times, Nature, and members of the nuclear regulatory organizations from the United States, Japan, France, and Canada. Observers from the IAEA were also in attendance. [2]

Rolling Stock

British Rail was in the process of reclassifying many of its first generation diesel locomotives as non-standard. This classification would allow BR to withdraw these classes of locomotive, which included the class 44, 45, and 46, colloquially known as “Peaks”. [3] [4]

For More Information:

British Rail Class 46

British Rail Mark 1

Locomotive

46 009 | 97 401 - built D199/46 062, December 1963. Known informally as “Spamcan”[3] [4], 46 062 willingly and surreptitiously exchanged numbers and identities with withdrawn sibling 46 009 in October 1983 and transferred to BR’s Research Department.[3] It is believed that neither locomotive was aware of the test or its anticipated outcome at the time of the swap.[3][4][ᴺᵒᵗᵉ¹] It is unknown whether 009/062 was transferred specifically for Operation Smash Hit, or if CEGB requested an engine and 009/062 was chosen at random. In either event, the 90MPH top speed of the class 46 and its 138 Long Ton weight was considered ideal by BREL, which wished to simulate a “worst case” scenario, in which the flask was impacted by a fully loaded high speed express train. The locomotive was purchased by CEGB for £16,750[1], and had his speed governor removed to allow a 100mph top speed.

46 023 | 97 402 was also present for the collision as a reserve engine should 009 fail. The locomotive’s services were not needed, and he remained as a source of spares until 1994, when he was purchased and expatriated to the United States by the US Peak Association, a consortium of escaped class 44, 45, and 46 locomotives in Texas. [4][5]

Rolling Stock

The rolling stock included 3 Mark 1 Coaches and a “Flatrol” depressed-center flat car. [4] Most documentation regarding the history of these vehicles was lost or destroyed following the crash. The coaches were purchased by the CEGB for £2,190[4]. It is unknown if the Flatrol wagon as purchased by the CEGB, and if so, at what cost.

Flatrol DB550019 [4]

SK E25154 - Wolverton, June 1955. Lead coach.

TSO M4514 - York, July 1956. Center Coach.

SK E25564 - Wolverton, August 1957. Trailing Coach

Crash

Preparations for the crash began on July 1-5, when 46 009 and 46 023′s speed limiters were removed to allow the train to reach 100 miles per hour at the moment of the collision. [5] Additional modifications included the removal of the locomotives’ batteries and fire extinguisher systems, and the inclusion of a remote control switch on the locomotives' exterior. The Mark 1 Coaches were unmodified. On 16 July, the Flatrol wagon was lifted from their axles and laid sideways at the end of the siding on which the accident was to take place. According to all contemporary accounts, the wagon was oriented so that their face was facing away from the observers. [6]

On 17 July, the accident train - consisting of 46 009, E25154, M4514, and E25564 - was towed to the Old Dalby test track on the rear of the CEGB charter train. The consist of this train is unknown, however it is believed that 46 023 was part of this consist in an unpowered condition. After disembarking passengers, the train continued 8.75 miles up the line to Edwalton. There, the accident train was uncoupled and made ready for the crash. [5] [6]

The crash was timed to coincide with afternoon news broadcasts, and was scheduled for 1:12 PM GMT, however the impact did not occur until 30 minutes later at 1:42, after a short delay caused by anti-nuclear protestors was further exacerbated by 46 023, who had begun screaming unbroadcastable profanities at the CEGB and BR staff, necessitating his removal so to allow the television news recording to go forward. [7]

At 1:39, the train was throttled up to full power via the external controls, and was set off down the line towards Old Dalby. The train was followed by a trio of camera helicopters and a light aircraft, while numerous ground-based cameras from BREL, CEGB, and local rail enthusiasts captured the train as it accelerated to speeds in excess of 90 miles per hour. Radar tracking of the train, as well as high speed footage taken from the test site and analysis of footage taken from stationary cameras estimates that 46 009 reached a maximum speed of 102.4 miles per hour shortly before impact. [5] [7]

At 1:42:19 PM GMT, the train rounded the final bend leading into Old Dalby. According to many accounts from non-UK-based observers, the train was audible long before it was visible, as 46 009 had at some point begun screaming for help [4] at a volume loud enough to be heard over the helicopter rotors. Some unconfirmed reports also state that Flatrol wagon DB550019 also began calling for help at this point - as they may have been previously unaware of the nature of the test. [4]

At 1:42:30, 46 009 impacted the lid of the flask. The locomotive was killed instantly as the flask destroyed his “A” side cab. The “B” side cab of 46 009 was also significantly damaged from being impacted by E25154. An explosion followed as 009′s fuel tank was crushed between the front and rear bogies, which detached from the locomotive’s frame as it buckled from contacting the flask. [4] [8] This frame buckling is believed to have thrown some amount of mechanical debris out of 46 009′s engine compartment, which would later draw conspiracy theories that the engine’s motor mounts had been loosened prior to the test in order to throw the motor free of the collision. This is false, as post-mortem photographs of 46 009′s engine room show the motor still in place. [9]

E25154 was either killed or mortally wounded in the impact as she was compressed between 46 009 and M4514 - over 30% of her superstructure was smashed inwards, while “catastrophic” frame damage was reported during scrapping. [8]

M4514 and E25564 were seriously injured in the collision - M4514 suffered severe crush damage on both ends, while E25564 was the least injured, suffering only damage to her leading end and side following the post-crash derailment. [8]

Improbably, DB550019 survived the crash. Despite being at the focal point of the collision, most of the energy of the crash was transferred into 46 009 and the Magnox flask. During the accident, DB550019 was driven over by 46 009 and began to roll on their axis. While obscured by the dust thrown up by the crash, the wagon began to cartwheel, eventually coming to rest in a vertical position, braced against E25154 and M4514. The railcar was not undamaged however, and suffered significant bowing and cracking of their steel frame. [4][8]

Immediate Aftermath

From the CEGB’s position, the test was a success - despite being impacted by 46 009 in the lid (the weakest point) - the flask maintained a proper seal, losing a minimal amount of water, which would correspond to a miniscule spillage of nuclear materials. [2]

All 5 vehicles involved in the crash were written off by the CEGB, and had already been sold to Vic Berry Ltd of Leicester for scrapping at the time of the accident, with an effective sale date of July 18. Following the accident, scrapping was meant to take place several weeks later, however international protests (see below) meant that Vic Berry work crews were unable to access the site until October, at which point 46 009, E25154, and the still living M4514, E25564, and DB550019 were cut up and recycled. [9]

International Reactions

International reactions to Operation Smash Hit were universally negative. Reactions ranged from censure at the governmental level to violence against individual members of BREL and CEGB staff.

Immediate

Numerous members of the international scientific community were present at the crash. As many would later state, they believed that the CEGB would perform the test in a manner similar to that of equivalent exercises in the United States and West Germany. [10] Those tests involved either locomotive analogues made of concrete and steel, or non-sentient locomotive shells. (Approximately 2% of locomotives built each year are non-sentient. These units are typically reserved for destructive testing.)

Concerns among the observers began before the test occurred, as members of the Canadian delegation noted that the test train was composed of sentient locomotives. They raised these concerns to BREL workers, who misunderstood their questions and assured them that no “useful” trains were to be destroyed. [10] [11]

The Canadians remained unconvinced, and their concerns grew when anti-nuclear demonstrators entered the test track. DB550019, apparently unaware of their role in test, began yelling at the protestors to leave the site, unintentionally informing many of the observers that sentient vehicles were being used in the test. [10]

As 46 009 became visible, the observers were immediately presented with the fact that not only was the test being carried out by sentient machines, but also was done without their consent, as 46 009 was visibly and audibly terrified up to the moment of impact. [4][5][10][11][12]

Following the impact, observers from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission immediately began a physical assault on their counterparts from the CEGB and BREL. [11] The NRC had primarily sent members of their fuel rod transport committee. This committee primarily consisted of transport industry veterans, most of whom had previously expressed strong dislikes for the inaction of the United States government towards British Rail, with some members going so far as to author a white paper in 1972 which stated that the United Kingdom could not be trusted with Trident missiles as a result of their poor sentient rights record in regard to locomotives. [13]

As the scuffle between BREL, CEGB, and NRC personnel increased, members of the Canadian and French delegations returned from inspecting the wreckage of the train. They had done so almost before the wreckage had come to a stop, and were reportedly horrified at the damage, especially the remains of 46 009. Realizing that BREL and CEGB were to blame, they joined the fight between the NRC and BREL workers. [11][12]

The fight was brought to a halt only through police intervention, and many of the BREL managers on hand for the crash were severely injured, some permanently. [11][14]

Following the brawl, CEGB officials - with significant police protection - gave a press conference in front of the wreckage before boarding their charter train to return to London along with observers from the IAEA and the Japanese Atomic Energy Commission. [14] A second incident occurred on board the train in which the CEGB delegation, including chairman Sir Walter Marshall, were attacked by unknown assailants while the train was stopped at Flitwick. [11][15] The assailants left the train after making their attack, but due to many of the international observers either being arrested or unintentionally left behind in Old Dalby, an accurate headcount had not been made before the train set off, meaning that the identity of the attackers remains unknown. Unsubstantiated reports claim that the primary attackers may have been two members of the Soviet Nuclear Agency, who had attended as part of the IAEA delegation, and were known body builders. [16] These rumors are contested by members of the CEGB, who claimed that their attackers were speaking Japanese, however these claims are disputed by the JAEC. [14][16][17]

Following the Crash

In the days after the crash, numerous governments and non-governmental organizations condemned the crash.

United States

President Ronald Reagan was publicly silent on the crash, but privately excoriated Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a phone call on 27 July. [18]

Vice President George H.W. Bush issued a public statement of “sympathy and support for all locomotives in the United Kingdom”. [19]

William Stanley, head of The International Brotherhood of Railway Locomotives, harshly criticized the actions of British Rail and the CEGB, and called for a boycott of all British-made products by his union’s members. [20]

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, speaking on behalf of the Teamsters Union, issued a “scathing” 3 page statement in which it called upon the United States government and the United Nations to formally intervene in the United Kingdom “with military action if required”. [21]

The Association of American Railways condemned the crash in “the strongest possible terms”. [22]

The Southern Pacific Railway released a statement in which they condemned the crash and pledged to redouble their funding of expatriation programs for British Locomotives. [23]

The Smithsonian Institution, whose board of directors at the time included 9 locomotives, officially ended any and all affiliation programs with museums in the United Kingdom, including The British Museum, The Science Museum, and The National Museum of Science and Industry. [24] This cutting of ties lasted until 2014, when Flying Scotsman was repatriated to the United States. [24]

Belgium

King Baudouin issued a statement of sympathy for 46 009 and the “Peak” class as a whole, and reiterated his country’s stance on offering asylum to any British Locomotive who should make it to Belgium’s shores. He also extended this offer to coaches and freight cars after learning of the fate of the other vehicles in the crash. [25]

On 31 July, Baudouin, French President Mitterand and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands made a joint address in Brussels in which they pledged to continue their efforts to accept locomotive refugees from the United Kingdom. [26]

France

President François Mitterrand spoke at length about the crash at a press conference on 19 July. Citing initial reports from scientific observers and footage provided to Agence France-Presse, he claimed that the crash was a "travesty". On a state visit to Belgium on 31 July, he and Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands stood with King Baudouin in a joint address in which they pledged to continue their efforts to accept locomotive refugees from the United Kingdom. [26][27]

The Netherlands

Queen Beatrix gave a rare public address to the media late on 17 July, in which she expressed her shock and horror at the events of the crash. She stated that the perpetrators of the event would be brought to justice should they ever set foot on Dutch soil, and announced that 21 July would be a national day of mourning. Beatrix also sent a private correspondence to Queen Elizabeth, stating her feelings on the crash. [28] On 31 July, Beatrix, French President Mitterrand, and Belgian King Baudouin made a joint address in Brussels in which they pledged to continue their efforts to accept locomotive refugees from the United Kingdom. [26]

Canada

Prime Minister John Turner “vehemently” condemned the crash, and made a formal protest to Queen Elizabeth via Governor General Suavé. Turner also ordered the National Energy Board to cease all cooperation with the United Kingdom until those responsible at the CEGB were brought to justice. [29] This governmental boycott remained in effect until 2001, when the CEGB was fully privatized. [30]

The Canadian Labour Congress, on behalf of its locomotive members, attacked the CEGB and British Rail, and called upon trade unions in the United Kingdom to commit to industrial action in retaliation. [31]

West Germany

Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who had famously remained silent on the issue of locomotive rights in the United Kingdom, broke his silence to issue a lengthy statement in which he decried the United Kingdom and British Rail for their “monstrous acts” against locomotives. [32]

East Germany

General Secretary Erich Honecker issued a brief statement in which he decried the capitalist regime of the United Kingdom, and claimed that such an event would never be allowed to happen in East Germany. [33]

USSR

General Secretary Konstantin Chernenko offered his sympathies to 46 009′s surviving classmates and assured his citizens that events like this would never be tolerated in the Soviet Union. [34]

Japan

Minister of Foreign Affairs Shintaro Abe released a statement strongly condemning the United Kingdom for its actions. [35]

In a rare move, the Atomic Energy Commission of Japan released a separate statement that strongly condemned the CEGB, British Rail and the government of the United Kingdom, and recommended that the Japanese government bring charges against the United Kingdom in the UNCHR. [36]

Minister of Transportation Hiro Igawa released a statement expressing his “sadness and shock on behalf of all of Japan’s locomotives.” [35]

Australia

Prime Minister Bob Hawke stated that the crash was a “horrible, evil act, committed by utter bastards”. [37] He pledged to bring his concerns to Queen Elizabeth, however it is unknown whether the Monarch ever replied. [Citation Needed]

Multiple Railway Unions, including the AFULE, ATOF, and the NUR, all issued statements strongly condemning the crash, and began pushes for legislation to ban the repatriation of locomotives to the United Kingdom. [38]

United Nations

Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar publicly and privately condemned the crash, and seriously considered requests to expel the United Kingdom from the UN Security Council after their veto of UN Resolution 44/227, which would have declared the crash a violation of international human rights law. [2][39][40]

Domestic Reactions

In the Media

As it became apparent that the international outcry was not going to go away on its own, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered a D-Notice placed on all coverage of the international outcry beginning on 18 July. [41] A further D-Notice was placed on coverage of the crash itself beginning on 21 July[42], and a historic “triple D-Notice” was placed on 29 July, after The Sun began coverage of the D-Notices themselves. [2][43][44][45]

Outside of the railroading community, reactions to the crash were muted - at the time, locomotives in the United Kingdom were viewed in much the same way as domesticated animals, and most Britons were unphased by the destruction of a locomotive. [46][47]

Following the D-Notice, the crash quickly faded into non-existence by the end of 18 July, and was quickly forgotten following the Llŷn Peninsula earthquake on 19 July.

Within British Rail

Within the railroading community, reactions were mixed. The actions of the Class 45 locomotives had caused all three “Peak” classes of locomotives to be labeled as “diesel supremacists” - a terminology used to describe locomotives who had taken exceptional pleasure in eliminating steam traction during British Rail’s modernization plan.[48] As such, many surviving steam locomotives - and newer diesels whose only interactions with the Peaks had been during their end-of-life years - viewed the crash as “just desserts”. [Citation Needed]

Many of BR’s first and second-generation diesels viewed the test in a strongly negative light, and untold amounts of financial and physical damage was done in the months and years following as locomotives refused to work or intentionally caused accidents out of protest. [48][49][50]

Domestic Protest Groups

Locomotive rights groups within the United Kingdom reacted within hours of the crash, and a sit-in protest/candlelight vigil was held outside of the gates of Old Dalby test ground from 18 July to 3 October.[51] Protestors were supported by international protestors beginning on 21 July, with significant material and financial aid given from a variety of sources, including the Austrian Red Cross[52], the Provisional Irish Republican Army[53], and American singer John Oates[54].

The influx of protestors grew the sit-in to such a size that it was impossible for crews from Vic Berry’s to access the site until October, when the entrance road was cleared by riot police using water cannons and tear gas in the early morning hours of 3 October. [55][56]

Broadcast

Initial reactions to the test were calmly negative, but were quickly turned into furious condemnations after the BBC world service broadcast the crash as part of their normal news broadcast on 17 July. [57] The nonchalant matter in which newsreader Moira Stuart delivered the piece to camera has been referenced in numerous reports and official statements as the primary source of aggression by international audiences, who had not previously realized the extent of the crash. [58] In 2006, Time Magazine listed the footage as the 13th most important piece of documentary footage in the world. [51][59]

Lawsuit

Immediately following the test, multiple expatriated Class 46,45 and 44 locomotives living in the United States sued the CEGB and British Rail in US federal court for Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress. [60] The suit was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum. [61]

The Legacy of My Brother’s Murder

In 2017, the documentary film The Legacy of My Brother’s Murder revealed that 46 009 and 46 062 had exchanged numbers in October 1983.[3][62] 46 062, who had risen to infamy after his appearance in the Railway Series book Enterprising Engines [62], had swapped numbers in an attempt to “change his destiny” by swapping numbers, and therefore identities, with less controversial sibling 46 009, who was being transferred into departmental service. Both engines believed that this duty would allow the bearer of 46 009′s number to survive long after the class was fully withdrawn, while the bearer of 46 062′s number would be preserved due to the “Awdry Phenomenon” - a railfan preservation movement that had saved locomotives who had previously appeared in the Railway Series, including D3160[63], D261/40 061[64], and 40 125.[65]

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