Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    Banner
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
          • Movies 1950
          • Movies 1951
          • Movies 1952
          • Movies 1953
          • Movies 1954
          • Movies 1955
          • Movies 1956
          • Movies 1957
          • Movies 1958
          • Movies 1959
        • 1960s Movies
          • Movies 1960
          • Movies 1961
          • Movies 1962
          • Movies 1963
          • Movies 1964
          • Movies 1965
          • Movies 1966
          • Movies 1967
          • Movies 1968
          • Movies 1969
        • 1970s Movies
          • Movies 1970
          • Movies 1971
          • Movies 1972
          • Movies 1973
          • Movies 1974
          • Movies 1975
          • Movies 1976
          • Movies 1977
          • Movies 1978
          • Movies 1979
        • 1980s Movies
          • Movies 1980
          • Movies 1981
          • Movies 1982
          • Movies 1983
          • Movies 1984
          • Movies 1985
          • Movies 1986
          • Movies 1987
          • Movies 1988
          • Movies 1989
        • 1990s Movies
          • Movies 1990
          • Movies 1991
          • Movies 1992
          • Movies 1993
          • Movies 1994
          • Movies 1995
          • Movies 1996
          • Movies 1997
          • Movies 1998
          • Movies 1999
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Decades»Events
    Events 2 Mins Read

    Moorgate Tube Crash (1975)

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    On 28 February 1975, a tube train rammed into the end of a dead-end tunnel at Moorgate on the London Underground, killing the driver and 41 passengers.

    As rescue workers prepared for a long fight to bring all the injured out of the mangle of compressed carriages, a full-scale investigation was set up into the Moorgate tube disaster, the worst ever on the London Underground.

    The key question was why the driver, Leslie Newson, aged 56, accelerated into the blind tunnel when his 8:37 am commuter train from Drayton Park should have been braking. It sped past platform nine at twice the usual speed of 15 mph and then ran out of track.

    The first three of the six carriages telescoped at the end of the 80-yard tunnel after crashing through sand piles and over the buffers. Many of the dead were found beneath the first carriage. The first 15 feet had compacted down to two feet and was embedded in the end wall.

    All day, teams of doctors, firemen and nurses wrestled with the wreckage, in dust and withering heat, attempting to reach those still alive. A teenage policewoman was carried out after 12 hours. One of her feet had been pinned down by the tangle of metal and had to be amputated at the scene.

    One young doctor who spent hours in the tunnel said: “If there’s a hell, I’ve seen it”.

    Related Posts

    • Space Race, The
      Space Race, The
      In the 1950's and 1960's, the USA and the Soviet Union raced each other to be first into space. The…
    • Marilyn Monroe in Korea (1954)
      Marilyn Monroe in Korea (1954)
      In February 1954, actress Marilyn Monroe travelled to Korea to entertain the American troops stationed over there. Marilyn was asked…
    • Granville Train Disaster (1977)
      Granville Train Disaster (1977)
      Tuesday 18 January 1977 started as an ordinary working day in Sydney, Australia. Then at 8:12 am, the 6:09 city-bound…
    • Woodstock
      Woodstock
      It remains the defining assembly of rock music - an unprecedented gathering of at least 300,000 young, long-haired, raggedy clad…
    • Cold War
      Cold War
      The term ''Cold War'' was first used by Bernard Baruch, advisor to US President Truman, in a speech made in…
    • Fall of Saigon (1975)
      Fall of Saigon (1975)
      The war in Vietnam ended abruptly on 30 April 1975.  Saigon surrendered almost without a struggle as North Vietnamese tanks…
    • Cyclone Tracy (1974)
      Cyclone Tracy (1974)
      The excitement of Christmas Eve 1974 was turned into stark horror in Darwin, Australia, as the killer wind of Cyclone…
    • Swinging London
      Swinging London
      "Swinging London" is a generic term coined by Time magazine in April 1966 and used to describe the fashion, music, cinema…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleFall of Saigon (1975)
    Next Article 1979

    Comments are closed.

    NC Radio Player
    Search the site

    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love since 1998. The site carries no advertising, and I rely on donations to help with running costs and to keep the site running for your entertainment and education.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small. 

    Thank you so much.
    Enjoy your trip in the time machine!

    You may also like

    • Granville Train Disaster (1977)
      Granville Train Disaster (1977)
      Tuesday 18 January 1977 started as an ordinary working day in Sydney, Australia. Then at 8:12 am, the 6:09 city-bound…
    • Great Train Robbery (1963)
      Great Train Robbery (1963)
      In the early hours of 8 August 1963 an armed gang of 15 men held up the overnight Glasgow-to-London Travelling…
    • Test Tube Babies
      Test Tube Babies
      The world’s first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, weighing five pounds twelve ounces, was delivered by a Caesarean operation at Oldham…
    • The Beatles in Bangor (August 1967)
      The Beatles in Bangor (August 1967)
      During the summer of 1967, The Beatles' Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club album had shot straight to the top of the UK…


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.