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Ouch! John Kidd RIP


dunsbyowl1867

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A story from the Burngreave Messenger & what a generous railway company!

Poor John put his head on the line!

by Albert Jackson

The Sheffield & Rotherham Railway Co. opened the first station at the bottom of Spital Hill/Saville Street in 1838.

This was the original Midland Station, followed in 1870 by the present station. Between these dates the Woodhead line connected Manchester with Sheffield, first to Bridgehouses in 1845 then via the Wicker Arches to Victoria Station in 1851.

The interim years also saw one of the most terrible disasters in the City’s history – the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864, when the platforms at Savile Street were submerged after the almost complete Dale Dyke Dam at Loxley burst, cascading over 690 million gallons of water onto Sheffield and beyond. The official loss of life was declared as 250 (including 40 children), although many more are thought to have perished .

As the railway networks grew, the Midland station was linked to Bridgehouses by a tunnel, 300 yards long, to enable goods trains to access both lines. The incline of the tunnel was immense, engines had to reverse as far back along the line as Sutherland Street in order to build up enough steam for loaded trains to climb up through the tunnel. Likewise in reverse, a brake wagon had to be attached to the end of the train to control its descent. Disaster occurred for the Kidd family here, the gravestone at the chapel at Hillsborough Barracks relates…

This stone is erected

in memory of John Kidd,

who lost his life at the end

of the enclined tunnel on

the midland line at Sheffield,

December 8th 1846, aged 29 years.

Here Lieth the body of John Kidd,

In eternal realms his soul is hid;

A railway engine did him kill,

And crushed his poor head so ill.

Poor John was a pointsman at the station, he was uncoupling a wagon from the tender when his head was caught between the buffers.

At the inquest held in the Hall Carr Hotel the next morning, the jury concluded that although not his job to uncouple the wagons, only the deceased was to blame and returned a verdict of accidental death. The Railway Company offered to pay the funeral expenses.

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A story from the Burngreave Messenger & what a generous railway company!

Poor John put his head on the line!

by Albert Jackson

The Sheffield & Rotherham Railway Co. opened the first station at the bottom of Spital Hill/Saville Street in 1838.

This was the original Midland Station, followed in 1870 by the present station. Between these dates the Woodhead line connected Manchester with Sheffield, first to Bridgehouses in 1845 then via the Wicker Arches to Victoria Station in 1851.

The interim years also saw one of the most terrible disasters in the City’s history – the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864, when the platforms at Savile Street were submerged after the almost complete Dale Dyke Dam at Loxley burst, cascading over 690 million gallons of water onto Sheffield and beyond. The official loss of life was declared as 250 (including 40 children), although many more are thought to have perished .

As the railway networks grew, the Midland station was linked to Bridgehouses by a tunnel, 300 yards long, to enable goods trains to access both lines. The incline of the tunnel was immense, engines had to reverse as far back along the line as Sutherland Street in order to build up enough steam for loaded trains to climb up through the tunnel. Likewise in reverse, a brake wagon had to be attached to the end of the train to control its descent. Disaster occurred for the Kidd family here, the gravestone at the chapel at Hillsborough Barracks relates…

This stone is erected

in memory of John Kidd,

who lost his life at the end

of the enclined tunnel on

the midland line at Sheffield,

December 8th 1846, aged 29 years.

Here Lieth the body of John Kidd,

In eternal realms his soul is hid;

A railway engine did him kill,

And crushed his poor head so ill.

Poor John was a pointsman at the station, he was uncoupling a wagon from the tender when his head was caught between the buffers.

At the inquest held in the Hall Carr Hotel the next morning, the jury concluded that although not his job to uncouple the wagons, only the deceased was to blame and returned a verdict of accidental death. The Railway Company offered to pay the funeral expenses.

If anyone has a copy of the book "WOODHEAD - The Lost Railway" by Stephen Gay, published by Hallamshire Press, 1999 then page 144 has the "Memorial to John Kidd" with a picture of the actual memorial stone at the site of his death at the end of the inclined tunnel on the Midland Line. I think the picture above is of his actual gravestone which is on display with others outside Morrisons supermarket on Langsett Road, Hillsborough.

I have the book but have not scanned and printed the page here as it is copyright of the author.

Stephen Gay is a well known local writer on old railways in this area and visits them, on foot, usually with his dog and always with a camera. He has had a couple of books printed and has appeared several times in The Star on local old railway topics. My copy of the book is autographed by him as I aquired it after he gave our club a talk on this very railway. He is a really nice bloke and lives locally at Darnall / Attercliffe.

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