St Johns, Lewisham: rail-over-rail bridge being removed

Image: © Ben Brooksbank Taken: 8 Dec 1957

View SW from Brookmill Road, 3½ days after the dreadful collision at 18.20 on 4 December 1957 in dense fog, when the 16.56 Cannon Street to Ramsgate express (steam-hauled, by Light Pacific No. 34066 'Spitfire') had collided with the preceding electric 17.18 Charing Cross to Hayes with such force that the massive bridge girder carrying the Nunhead - Lewisham line was brought down onto the leading coaches of the express. In this picture and Image the damaged bridge was being cut up to clear the lines and allow the removal of the parts of the train caught under the collapsed bridge. For details, see 'St Johns, Lewisham - 50 years on: restoring the traffic', by Peter Tatlow: Oakwood Press 2007 (ISBN 978 085361 669 6), where the author points out that the temporary bridge that replaced the one in the photograph has continued in service, with some modifications, until at least 2007!

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