The Great Northern Railway station at Kings Cross was the setting for what became a tragedy. The 8.30 pm from King’s Cross, once the principal night Scotch express had, from the 1890’s, been superseded in importance by the Highland and Aberdeen trains, although it was still the mail train with Edinburgh sleepers, and left at 8.45 pm. On 19 September 1906 the load was five 6-wheelers mainly brake and mail vans which were marshalled at the front of the train with two 8-wheelers and five 12-wheelers, from Peterborough the engine was number 276, a large Atlantic which was just two years old. Her driver was F. W. Fleetwood, who was regarded as ‘steady, quiet, and reliable’, a married man with a family who would be partnered by Fireman R. Talbot, who had replaced the usual man who was ill, a well educated young man and a Doncaster premium apprentice who was keen and competent.

The train was due to stop at Grantham at 10.57 pm and the signals were up, against the train, but postmen, officials and passengers on the platform were horrified to see it approach after a few minutes at a speed stated later of 50-60 mph and run past the platform as an ‘Up Goods’ train from the Nottingham line had just come over the junction, signalman Scoffin who was expecting the express to stop still had the points set for the down Nottingham line as the Mail Train first ‘ran’ the signals and then ran over a 10 chain left-hand curve, and then on a 6.6 chain right-hand curve, this proved too much for the tender which derailed, broke away, and fell down the embankment whilst the engine heeled over on its side. The carriages (except the last four) were thrown all over the place (several down the embankment) and badly damaged, also there were two fires - one in a gas-lit coach. The driver and fireman, nine passengers (including a N.E.R. director) and a post office official were killed at once whilst two passengers died later from their injuries, with 13 passengers and four railwaymen being injured. Fortunately, the passenger complement was not large, and the vans in front took part of the shock, or the casualties would have been worse, on hearing of the accident Ivatt immediately arrived from Doncaster and inspected the engine only to find no defect of any kind at all.

Mister Grinling conducted a private inquiry on behalf of the Company in order to prepare evidence for Lt. Col. Von Donop’s inquiry. All the porters, signalmen and guards were carefully examined with their stories being compared. After this inquiry, which lasted nearly three hours, Mister Grinling stated that absolutely no information had been obtained to explain the cause of the train not stopping at Grantham. Neither was there anything to suggest madness on the part of the driver.

Lord Allerton, a Director of the Great Northern Railway ~ whose train this was ~ attended the inquest, and Lt Col von Donop’s (the Government inspector) inquiry though no satisfactory explanation was ever found, however, both guards said the train was going too fast and tried to put the vacuum brake on only to find it was already, and other evidence confirmed that the brakes were applied, but too late. Signalman Day at the south box, said the speed was too high, and Fleetwood and Talbot were standing in correct positions, looking forward. There had been vague stories that the two were fighting and, more sensibly, Fleetwood was shouting.

More important was the evidence that Fleetwood had been away from duty with sciatica, but had not recently consulted his doctor, or claimed on the sick fund (the G.N.R. did not then insist on a ‘returning to work’ doctor’s certificate). So people did not know how he was, although he had previously complained of illness on the footplate. Sudden sciatica can make it difficult to move. But if he were ill, would not Talbot have taken charge, or stopped the train at once? There was evidence that they did not get on well, a witness said Talbot was anxious ‘ because the driver drinks,’ and wondered what he could do about it whilst others said Fleetwood was normal and sober beforehand, and had never seen him ‘worse for drink’, Fleetwood had feared that firing the big engine, especially up Essendine bank, might be too much for Talbot, who had said he had scorching from the fire, but perhaps even more significant, the night before, Fleetwood complained to a colleague ‘8 minutes were lost, someone will have to have the time, for I shall not,’ by implication (not directly) blaming Talbot. On the fatal night, there was evidence the train was again late up the bank. Did Fleetwood, dissatisfied about this, blame Talbot for not firing well enough and letting the pressure fall, and then run fast after the summit to try and make up time, with tempers frayed, and neither appreciating where they were? Talbot had injector trouble and perhaps still did, then suddenly both dashed for the regulator and brake (which could look like fighting) shouting - too late?

The non-superheated Atlantics were sometimes slow up hill and then ran fast down hill. Also the theory that the connection of the vacuum brakes was at fault was dismissed by stating that when disconnected the brakes remain ‘on’, that is applied, it is connecting that takes the brakes ‘off’ and allows the train to move. Had the vacuum brakes not been connected the train would never have reached Grantham.

The inspector, after finding the guards should have acted sooner, and Fleetwood, though ‘not a teetotaller, was not a heavy drinker,’ said "the simplest explanation would be that both driver and fireman momentarily forgot that they had to stop at Grantham. Both were competent. It seems improbable that forgetfulness was the cause of the failure to stop, though it is undoubtedly possible that such was the case. Sudden illness is a possible reason - if the driver were taken suddenly ill, Talbot may not have realised that this was the case in time to carry out his duties for him. But the primary cause must forever remain a mystery." The inspector recommended that a driver should be examined by a doctor before resuming work after illness, and disapproved of gas-lighting.

The union complained that premium apprentices (despite Talbot’s known competence) should not act as firemen, so thereafter, they did not.

The Great Northern Railway gave Grantham hospital, which looked after the injured well, 500 guineas. Number 276 was repaired at Doncaster and ran until January 1946, a year before the demise of the London and North Eastern Railway – the successor to the Great Northern, amongst others.

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