THE story of a train fire nearly 30 years ago is told in a new booklet produced by Keith Dyer in aid of St Giles Church at Bradford-on-Tone.

Keith was living near the scene and remembers waking up to a phone call from a villager who told him a train had crashed at the Bradford level crossing on the Bradford-on-Tone to East Nynehead road. It was some time before 5am on Thursday, May 16, 1991.

The train, which ran twice a week, was moving 12 tanks of diesel oil, six tanks of petrol and four tanks of kerosene – more than 660 tonnes of fuel – from Milford Haven to a terminal at Heathfield at Bovey Tracy.

The driver had felt a jolt just west of the level crossing and when he looked behind saw an orange glow, the front six wagons on their side and the other 16 derailed. The engine was still on the track and he managed to uncouple it and pull forward before telling the Exeter signal box about the incident. To start with only one or two of the tankers were on fire but the heat caused others to split and explode.

Keith, who left his home and drove closer to the crash, said: “The roaring noise of the flames was almost deafening and an explosion hit me like a blow on the chest. It must have been a tanker exploding – it was frightening.”

Police alerted residents in Tone Green to advise them to evacuate their houses. Most had already been woken by the explosions and retreated, some in their night clothes, towards the village half a kilometre away on a hill the other side of the River Tone.

Telecom engineer Neil Dalgren, who lived at Trefusis Farm, speaking at the time, said: “The first thing I heard was a whoosh – something like a roar – outside the bedroom window. It is a miracle the farm did not go up in flames. I looked out and the whole place looked like daylight, though it should have been dark.”

Farm cowman Ken Anderson, who lived at Tone Green, said: “One tanker blew up while I was there and the blast knocked me off my feet. Petrol was running into the drains and the road was suddenly turned into a river of flames.”

More than 100 firefighters attended the incident, including from Wellington and Wiveliscombe, and 20,000 litres of foam was used to extinguish the flames, but no-one was killed or injured.

Villagers in Bradford-on-Tone opened up the village hall and served tea, coffee and bacon and egg breakfasts to service personnel, and the White Horse was opened for use as a communications centre.

Keith says: “Eventually it was determined that eight of the fuel tanks were punctured and the others exploded because they became over-pressurised by heat. It was estimated that two-thirds of the fuel was consumed or leaked into the nearby river through culverts and drains.”

The derailment was caused by a ‘hot box’ on one of the tankers – an overheated bearing on a wheel axle. At least 400m of the track was damaged.

David Nicholson MP called for a full inquiry in the House of Commons and asked Transport Secretary Malcom Rifkind if he was happy with the safety precautions for transporting toxic and flammable freight by rail. It was revealed British Rail moved about 200 trains a week of petroleum products.

In a report to the County Public Protection Committee, Fire Chief Doug Cummings praised firefighters saying they put themselves at very serious risk and did an excellent job.

Gulf Oil estimated that the crash was likely to cost £1.1 million in damage and £170,000 in lost fuel. It made a donation to Nynehead Parish Council in recognition of the disruption to the village – the money was used to surface the village hall car park.

The Bradford-on-Tone Train Fire 16th May 1991 by Keith Dyer is in aid of St Giles Church at Bradford-on-Tone and is priced £5. It is for sale at the church, village shops in Bradford-on-Tone and Oake, and from Mr Dyer at 9 Taunton Road, Wiveliscombe.