Sheffield Independent – Saturday 12 August 1848
Fatal Accident at the Darfield Station on the Midland Railway.
On Tuesday morning last, an inquest was held at the station at Darfield, before Thomas Badger, Esq., coroner, on view of the body of Benjamin Oldroyd, aged. 32 years, guard in the goods department of the Midland Railway.
From the evidence given, it seems that the unfortunate deceased came to his death in the following manner. Oldroyd left Derby with the first goods train, about half-past six o’clock on Saturday morning, and arrived at Masbro’ about eight. All was ready to leave that place soon after nine, and Oldroyd gave Jobbling, the engine driver, the usual signal to proceed onwards. From some cause or other, unknown to the driver, Oldroyd was left behind.
A second goods train had left Derby about half past seven the same morning, and was ready to leave Masbro’ soon after the first train, when Oldroyd went to the engine of this train, got on, and said his train had left him but he would go with them to Barnsley station, when they should overtake it, having two waggons to leave there. Nothing was said about Oldroyd getting on before reaching Barnsley, and all went well until they reached Darfield Bank, a rise of sixteen feet in the mile, and about three- quarters of a mile south of the Darfield station, where Jobbling’s (the first) train began to slacken its speed, partly owing to the pumps not acting properly. Turner’s (the second) train then came gently up, with the intention of assisting the first train up the bank. Turner was on the right side of is engine, and had his attention directed to the first train, and having been pushing about one hundred yards, he felt the engine lift, and turning round to Harrison, his fireman, found that Oldroyd had gone over the left side of the engine frame to the front of the engine, and in attempting to get into the break of the first train, had slipped between it and the engine of the second train, with thirty carriages attached to it, all of which had passed over his head and shoulders.
Oldroyd was a married man, kept a beerhouse in Leeds, and has left a wife and one child.