Hopkinstown 1911 - David J Carpenter

Monday 23 January 1911 was a typical grey, damp morning and seemed like any other to the passengers who hurried on to the 9.10 train from Treherbert. But approximately forty minutes later the train collided with a stationary mineral train and the scene became one of devastation. The train disaster which occurred on that fateful day in January shocked not only the mining communities of both valleys, but also a large area of the South Wales Coalfield. Many of the passengers from a nearby train offered what assistance they could by helping people from the wrecked coaches and cranes worked all day to clear the wreckage, but twelve people died that day, and many more were injured.