TRAIN TRAGEDY
Stonehaven train crash: Driver, 45, and conductor killed in landslide smash pictured as heartbroken friends pay tribute
THE driver and conductor killed when a train ploughed into a landslide and derailed have been pictured.
"Lovely" dad-of-three Brett McCullough, 45, died alongside "absolute gem" Donald Dinnie and a passenger in the horror crash in Stonehaven, Scotland.
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The engine is reported to have burst into flames after the carriages buckled and one rolled down a steep embankment yesterday.
Six others were taken to hospital, but are not believed to be seriously hurt.
According to a rail industry source, the Aberdeen to Glasgow ScotRail service had already reversed from another landslip caused by fierce storms and switched to a different set of tracks.
It comes just four weeks after the rail watchdog warned about a spike in landslips on tracks.
Dramatic images show a tangle of mangled carriages from the wreckage on the tracks
What we know so far:
- A ScotRail train
- Brett McCullough, 45, died alongside train conductor Donald Dinnie and an unidentified passenger
- Six others are injured
- Footage posted nine minutes after the crash showed waterlogged tracks nearby
- The train is understood to have turned back after seeing the landslide only to hit another
- It comes four weeks after a rail watchdog warned about a spike in landslips
- A total of 12 people were said to have been on board
- Anyone worried about friends or family are being asked to call 01224 319519
- Did you see what happened? Call The Sun Online on 0207 782 4368 or email [email protected]
Heartbroken relatives and colleagues of two of the victims spoke of their agony.
Married Mr McCullough lives around from 15 minutes from the crash site with his young family.
He had switched from a gas engineer to train driver seven years ago after chatting to a railway worker while servicing his boiler.
A union official said colleagues "thought the world" of Mr McCullough, who leaves behind Stephanie and three children, two girls and a boy.
One pal told the : “He’s been in the railways for about six years and is a lovely man.”
A devastated cousin announced Mr Dinnie was the second victim of the crash.
Tributes have poured in for Mr Dinnie, described as "an absolute gem" who "always had a smile on his face".
Heartbroken Lisa Spark wrote on Facebook: "So sad that one of our relatives Donald Dinnie was a victim of the train accident in Aberdeen. Why is it always the good ones?"
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Paying tribute to Mr Dinnie, of Banchory, Aberdeenshire, Linda Patrick said: "An absolute gem of a guy he will be sadly missed by lots if people."
Friend Marie Ewan wrote on Facebook: "Can't believe I'm writing this, RIP Don. You will never be forgotten.
"Jenna and William are going to be looking for the brightest star in the sky and they will know it's you.
"Keep the smile on your face like always."
While ScotRail's managing director Alex Hynes told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland radio programme: "Yesterday was a devastating day for everybody who works in the rail industry in Scotland.
"Our love and support is sent to the victims of this accident and their families, those that were injured in the accident and anybody who was touched by yesterday's terrible tragedy."
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The train derailed four miles south of Stonehaven station in Carmont, Aberdeenshire, at around 9.45am.
One local told how farmers ran to help and said: “They could not believe what they saw.
"It was like something out of a movie.”
Farmer Ronald Farquhar, 69, added: “I could see the smoke coming up through the trees and I knew it was bad. It’s just horrible.”
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Around 30 emergency vehicles, including two air ambulances, rushed to the scene.
It is thought some had trouble crossing a flooded ford.
More than 2.5ins of rain had fallen during thunderstorms from 5am and 7am.
It comes just a month after the Office of Rail and Road warned there were six times as many floods on railways in 2019/20 than the previous year.
PM Boris Johnson said his thoughts were with those affected.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon expressed her “deepest condolences”.
Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines is cutting short a family holiday in Italy to return. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he would visit the site today.
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The driver is the first to die in a crash on UK railways since Stanley Martin, 54, was killed at Ufton Nervet, Berks, in November 2004.
The train was made up of four carriages with two locomotives, one at each end.
A total of 12 people were said to have been on board.
A major incident was declared at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary but visitors were kept away due to lockdown in the city.
The train had set off at 6.38am but it is thought to have been blocked by the first landslide.
Network Rail Scotland tweeted reports of the second slip near Carmont just before the crash, along with footage of flooded and debris-laden tracks.
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Kevin Lindsay, of union Aslef, said: “While it is too early to speculate about causes, it would seem that the appalling weather conditions in the area resulted in a landslip which, in turn, caused the train to derail.”
Scottish Conservative North East MSP Liam Kerr said the area had faced “extreme weather” and that checks should be made “to ensure it is safe for rail travel to commence”.
He added: “My thoughts go to the passengers and staff on board.”
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It comes as parts of Scotland were left in total chaos after
Eastern and northern parts of the country were badly hit with a month's worth of rain falling - leaving people stranded and cars underwater.
Huge landslides have also caused chaos - with around 500 caravans evacuated at a holiday park last night in Fife.
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Footage shows flood water covering rail tracks near Carmont as Network Rail closes line between Dundee and Aberdeen