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The rail disaster injured dozens of people and took the lives of 13

An infamous rail disaster in Cambridgeshire which took the lives of 13 people happened 150 years ago and prompted major improvements on railway safety at the time. On January 21, 1876, a small little village in the then county of Huntingdonshire saw a tragic incident that would be remembered more than a century later.

The disaster took place when a blizzard caused two trains to leave their stations late - concluding in a crash between a train carrying passengers and one carrying coal at Abbots Ripton. Intriguingly, the horrifying events of that cold winter day preceded the opening of the station by almost a decade.

The event took place in 1876 and the station did not open at the site until 1885. The 'Flying Scotsman' service was making its way from Edinburgh to London on the Great Northern Railway main line.

The esteemed service, which was 10 carriages long, only carried first or second-class passengers. It reportedly carried notable passengers including the Russian Ambassador and deputy chairman.

Due to the services running late, a signalman tried to put the train into a siding at Holm. However, the train passed the signal until it was stopped at Abbots Ripton and began moving into a siding. While a signal was set at danger, the Flying Scotsman persisted straight into the coal train at a speed of 40 to 45mph.

This set the stage for a third train to become involved in the chaos. A train heading south from Manchester was successfully stopped as it steamed towards the disaster. Unfortunately, a train heading north towards Leeds on the opposite track was not so lucky.

The signalman at Abbots Ripton set his signals to danger but hadn't alerted the signalman down the line at Stukeley. Despite their efforts to contact Stukeley, the message was received just moments after the northbound train had passed his position and that's where the scene got much, much worse.

The train ploughed into the derailed carriages from the first crash, which is believed to have resulted in the majority of deaths and injuries sustained. In total, 13 people were killed, and a further 53 passengers and 6 crew members were injured.

The crash sparked conversations and prompted major improvements in signalling procedures for railway safety at the time. Still remembered to this day, the real-life disaster inspired the famous 'Flying Kipper' story from the original Thomas the Tank Engine stories by Rev. W. Awrdy.