Special ceremony to remember Morecambe and Carnforth men who lost their lives in Tebay rail tragedy 20 years ago

Colin Buckley, 49, of Carnforth; Darren Burgess, 30, also of Carnforth; and Chris Waters, 53, of Morecambe, died along with Gary Tindall, 46, of Tebay, when a runaway trailer crashed into them as they worked in the dark on the West Coast Main Line north of Kendal on February 15 2004.

The faulty 16-tonne steel wagon broke free and sped down Shap Summit, reaching speeds of up to 40 miles per hour. Running almost silently and without any warnings, it struck and killed the four railway workers who were carrying out overnight work 3.25 miles further down the main line.

Five other men were also injured. The wagon continued to travel for almost four miles until stopping.In 2006, Mark Connolly, the boss of the rail maintenance company MAC Machinery Services, and crane operator Roy Kennett, were tried at Newcastle Crown Court on charges of manslaughter caused by gross negligence.

Connolly was also prosecuted for breaches of health and safety law. Both men were found guilty by majority verdicts; Connolly was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment – later reduced to seven on appeal – and Kennett to two years.

After the sentencing, speaking on behalf of the victims’ families, Det Sgt Steve Martin said: "During the past two years we have had to come to terms with not only our loss but also that this was an accident that could and should never have happened.

"We have been unable to understand how anybody or why anyone would put on to the railway trailers which had had their brakes deliberately disabled.

"Even though the jury has delivered a guilty verdict, we have no sense of victory or celebration and our lives have changed forever.

"We are relieved it is now over."

A memorial plaque was erected in September 2006 next to the scene of the incident, inscribed with the names of those who were killed.

The four men who lost their lives were all members of the RMT union, and union representatives played a major role in holding the employer to account and driving forward change.

"It is a sad reflection of the state of the rail industry that it took over 16 years for this campaign to be finally drawn to a successful conclusion," an RMT spokesman said.

"RMT will continue to help provide a safer working environment for our members working on the railway infrastructure and specifically to protect them against the risk of runaways on the railway infrastructure."

RMT’s Lancaster District Branch is planning to hold a memorial ceremony at the memorial stone at Tebay.

The ceremony will take place on Thursday February 15.

There will be a laying of wreaths and brief words at the memorial stone, which is south of Tebay village off the A685, at noon.

A buffet with and speeches will follow at the Tebay Sports Social & Railway Club, Church Street, Tebay, Penrith, CA10 3SP, at approximately 1.30pm.