1907 Birmingham Tramway accident

Fatal tram accident on 1 October 1907 in Birmingham, England February 2025 February 2018 1907 Birmingham Tramway accident Birmingham 1907 tram crash 1.jpg 52.4866 -1.9181 type:event_region:GB-BIR inline,title 1907 10 01 y Birmingham, England England City of Birmingham Tramways Company Ltd Brake failure 1 2 17 thumb|The overturned tram: from a contemporary postcard The 1907 Birmingham Tramway accident was a fatal tram accident which occurred on 1 October 1907 in the city of Birmingham, England. Events A tram operated by City of Birmingham Tramways Company Ltd was going downhill on Warstone Lane in the Jewellery Quarter area of the city when its brakes failed and it ran away. At the junction of Warstone Lane and Icknield Street it overturned at high speed and skidded until it stopped on the other side of the street, smashing into the pavement. Two people died and 17 were injured.2 October 1907 Tram Disaster in Birmingham https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000668/19071002/070/0005 subscription 22 February 2026 Birmingham Gazette and Express 5 British Newspaper Archive It is the deadliest tram accident in the area covered by the modern West Midlands county.https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/pupils-on-right-lines-to-history-45567 Pupils on right lines to history 12 October 2012 Brady Poppy Birmingham Mail https://web.archive.org/web/20160407154920/https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/pupils-on-right-lines-to-history-45567 7 April 2016 22 February 2026 live 4 October 2007 The tram's brakes were later found to have been faulty. The coroner's inquest heard that the driver had, shortly after leaving the depot, discovered that the magnetic brake was not working correctly, and so controlled the tram using the hand brake until a reversing point - the brake acting as it should from the opposite end. Upon reaching the terminus he reported the defect to an inspector and asked him to meet the tram on the return journey when the tram would again be being driven from the problematic end. The inspector boarded the tram at the top of the hill and attempted to use the magnetic brake to control the descent as usual, but encountered the same problems as the driver. By the time they applied the hand brake it was too late to avoid the accident.5 October 1907 The Tramway Disaster - Explanation of Its Cause https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000668/19071005/140/0006 subscription 22 February 2026 Birmingham Gazette and Express 6 British Newspaper Archive A Board of Trade enquiry was held by H.A. Yorke, it found that that immediate cause was the actions of the inspector in taking the tramcar down the hill with a defective magnetic brake and experimenting with that brake on an incline.6 January 1908 Summary of News https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000668/19080106/086/0004 22 February 2026 Birmingham Gazette and Express 4 British Newspaper Archive See also List of tram accidents References collapsed Category:History of Birmingham, West Midlands Birmingham Category:Railway accidents and incidents in Birmingham, West Midlands Birmingham Category:Railway accidents and incidents in Warwickshire Category:1900s in Birmingham, West Midlands Category:Runaway train disasters Category:Accidents and incidents involving City of Birmingham Tramways Company Ltd Category:1907 disasters in the United Kingdom Category:Tram accidents Category:October 1907 in the United Kingdom