Hixon Rail Crash
On 6 January 1968, a low-loader transporter carrying a 120-ton electrical transformer was struck by a British Rail express train on a recently installed automatic level crossing at Hixon, Staffordshire, England. The collision resulted in 11 deaths and 45 people injured, and led to improvements in signage around automatic level crossings. Background In the 1950s, British Railways found that the cost of manning 2,400 level crossings had risen past £1 million per annum, with some locations seeing a tenfold increase. In the Post-war Britain (1945–1979), post-war labour market it was often difficult to recruit crossing keepers, the job itself being a responsible but rather dull occupation. In addition, manually operated crossings often caused long delays to road traffic because of the need to close the gates and clear the distant Railway signal, signal before the approaching train reached it. In October 1956, senior members of Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate (HMRI) embarked o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hixon, Staffordshire
Hixon is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Staffordshire.OS Explorer Map 244: Cannock Chase & Chasewater: (1:25 000) : Location The village is east of the town of Stafford, southeast of the town of Stone, northwest of the town of Rugeley and south west of Uttoxeter. The nearest railway station is at Rugeley. The nearest main roads are the A518 which skirts north of the village, and the A51 which runs to the west.– Staffordshire A-Z County Atlas: 2011 Edition: Scale:3.8 inches to 1 mile (5.9 cm to 1 km) History Etymology The genesis of the village name is said to be of Scandinavian origin. The first part, ''Hus'' is thought to be the Viking word for house.Staffordshire Place Names Including The Black Country – Page 63:Author: Anthony Poulton-Smith: Publisher: Countryside Books (1995): The last part Dun is an old English word for Hill, so giving the origins as ''The House on the Hill''. Another school of thought originates the name ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stafford
Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census, and is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Stafford, which had a population of 136,837 in 2021. Stafford has Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon roots, being founded in 913, when Æthelflæd, List of monarchs of Mercia, Lady of the Mercians founded a defensive burh, it became the county town of Staffordshire soon after. Stafford became an important market town in the Middle Ages, and later grew into an important industrial town due to the proliferation of shoemaking, engineering and electrical industries. History Ancient Prehistoric finds suggest scattered settlements in the area, whilst south-west of the town lies an British Iron Age, Iron Age hill fort at Berry Ring. There is also evidence of Roman Brit ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Euston Railway Station
Euston railway station ( ; or London Euston) is a major London station group, central London railway terminus and Euston tube station, connected London Underground station managed by Network Rail in the London Borough of Camden. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line, the UK's busiest inter-city railway. Euston is the List of busiest railway stations in Great Britain, tenth-busiest station in Britain and the country's busiest inter-city passenger terminal, being the gateway from London to the West Midlands (region), West Midlands, North West England, North Wales and Scotland. Intercity express passenger services to the major cities of Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and through services to for connecting ferries to Dublin are operated by Avanti West Coast. Overnight sleeper services to Scotland are provided by the Caledonian Sleeper. West Midlands Trains, London Northwestern Railway provide commuter and regional services to the West M ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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81 022 At Kenton , a heavy-duty truck
{{Numberdis ...
81 may refer to: * 81 (number) * one of the years 81 BC, AD 81, 1981, 2081 * The international calling code for Japan * Nickname for the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. "H" is the eighth letter of the alphabet, and "A" is the first. * 81 Terpsichore, a main-belt asteroid * 81 mm mortar, a military indirect fire weapon See also * * List of highways numbered * Tatra 81 The Tatra 81 was heavy-duty truck model made by Czech manufacturer Tatra between 1940 and 1942. The development was ordered by German government in the aftermath of the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939 and was complete the same year. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Overhead Line
An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, Electric multiple unit, electric multiple units, trolleybuses or trams. The generic term used by the International Union of Railways for the technology is ''overhead line''. It is known variously as overhead catenary, overhead contact line (OCL), overhead contact system (OCS), overhead equipment (OHE), overhead line equipment (OLE or OHLE), overhead lines (OHL), overhead wiring (OHW), traction wire, and trolley wire. An overhead line consists of one or more wires (or Overhead conductor rail, rails, particularly in tunnels) situated over rail tracks, raised to a high electrical potential by connection to feeder stations at regularly spaced intervals along the track. The feeder stations are usually fed from a High voltage, high-voltage Electricity distribution, electrical grid. Overview Electric trains that collect their current from overhead lines use a de ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Secretary Of State For Transport
The secretary of state for transport, also referred to as the transport secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the policies of the Department for Transport. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The office holder works alongside the other Department for Transport#Ministers, transport ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, shadow secretary of state for transport, and the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the Transport Select Committee. The position of secretary of state for transport is held by Heidi Alexander, who was appointed by Keir Starmer following the resignation of Louise Haigh. History The Ministry of Transport absorbed the Minister of Shipping, Ministry of Shipping and was renamed the Ministry of War Transport in 1941, but resumed its previous name at the end of the war. The M ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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A51 Road
The A51 is a road in England which runs for 85 miles (137 km) from Chester, Cheshire to Kingsbury, Warwickshire, Kingsbury, North Warwickshire. Route It takes on the following route: *Chester *Vicars Cross *Littleton, Cheshire, Littleton *Tarvin (bypass opened 1984) *Duddon *Clotton *Tarporley (merges briefly with A49 road, A49) *Nantwich *Woore *Stone, Staffordshire, Stone (merges briefly with A34 road (England), A34) *Sandon, Staffordshire, Sandon *Weston, Staffordshire, Weston *Great Haywood *Little Haywood *Rugeley (bypass opened 2007 *Lichfield *Tamworth, Staffordshire, Tamworth *Kingsbury, Warwickshire, Kingsbury History Originally the A51 terminated at Two Gates where it met the A5, the road south continuing as the A423. When the A423 was removed north of Coventry, the A51 was extended to meet the A47 (now B4114). It was cut back to Kingsbury when the A47 was downgraded. Junction list References Notes Citations ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Stone, Staffordshire
Stone is a market town and civil parish in Staffordshire, England; it is situated approximately 7 miles (11 km) north of the county town of Stafford, 7 miles (11 km) south of Stoke-on-Trent and 15 miles (24 km) north of Rugeley. As a notable canal town, Stone is recognised for its rich history, originating from the early Bronze Age and continuing through the Industrial Revolution, with the introduction of the Trent and Mersey Canal shaping the town's development and local industry. Originally governed as an urban district council and a rural district council, Stone became part of the Borough of Stafford in 1974. Over the years, the town has seen a steady growth in its population, which was recorded as 12,305 in the 1991 United Kingdom census, 1991 census, 14,555 in United Kingdom 2001 census, 2001 and 16,385 in United Kingdom 2011 census, 2011. Etymology The place-name's meaning is exactly what is stated, a "stone, rock (geology), rock", from the Old English language, Old En ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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A34 Road (England)
The A34 is a major road in England. It runs from the A33 and M3 at Winchester in Hampshire, to the A6 and A6042 in Salford, close to Manchester City Centre. It forms a large part of the major trunk route from Southampton, via Oxford, to Birmingham, The Potteries and Manchester. For most of its length (together with the A5011 and parts of the A50, and A49), it forms part of the former Winchester–Preston Trunk Road. Improvements to the section of road forming the Newbury Bypass around Newbury were the scene of significant direct action environmental protests in the 1990s. It is 151 miles (243 km) long. Route The road is in two sections. The northern section runs south through Manchester and Cheadle, and bypasses Handforth, Wilmslow and Alderley Edge, before passing through Congleton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, and the southern suburbs of Stoke-on-Trent. It then continues south via Stone, Stafford, Cannock and Walsall, passes through the middle of Birmingham ( ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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M6 Motorway
The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 motorway, M1 and the western end of the A14 road (England), A14 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby, Warwickshire, Rugby before heading north-west. It passes Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Preston, Lancashire, Preston, Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster and Carlisle, Cumbria, Carlisle and runs between Manchester and Liverpool before terminating at Junction 45 near Gretna, Scotland, Gretna. Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74(M) and M74 motorways, A74(M) which continues to Glasgow as the M74. Its busiest sections are between junctions 4 and 10a in the West Midlands, and junctions 16 to 19 in Cheshire; these sections have now been converted to Active traffic management, smart motorways. It incorporated the Preston By-pass, the fi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Police Escort
A police escort, also known as a law enforcement escort, is a service offered by police and law enforcement to assist in transporting important individuals or resources. This is done by means of assigning police vehicles, primarily cars or motorcycles, to precede, surround, and/or follow a vehicle, or group of vehicles. Other government departments also provide escort services, such as secret service and military police. An escort can range widely in size, beginning with a single vehicle. They almost always assist with motorcades for the transportation of senior public officials, such as heads of state or heads of government, or can be hired by celebrities, professional athletes, funerals.A police escort does not need to be side by side to those being escorted, nor does it have to be conducted using vehicles; any form of visible police protection for an important person or resource is considered a police escort. The purpose of the police escort is to ensure those who are being es ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tractor Unit
A tractor unit, also known as a truck unit, lorry unit, power unit, prime mover, ten-wheeler, semi-tractor, semi-truck, semi-lorry, tractor cab, truck cab, lorry cab, big rig tractor, big rig truck or big rig lorry or simply a tractor, truck, lorry, semi, big rig or rig, is a characteristically heavy-duty towing engine that provides motive power for hauling a towed or trailered load. The largest such vehicles are similar to locomotives. These fall into two categories: heavy- and medium-duty military and commercial rear-wheel-drive semi-tractors used for hauling semi-trailers, and very heavy-duty typically off-road-capable, often 6×6, military and commercial tractor units, including ballast tractors. It should not be confused with a tractor-trailer which is a combination of a tractor unit and semi-trailer, whereas a ''tractor unit'' describes only the tractor portion. Overview Tractor units typically have large-displacement diesel engines for power, durability, an ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |