Murulla rail accident
| Murulla rail accident | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 13 September 1926 |
| Location | Murulla 224.9 km (139.7 mi) NNW from Sydney |
| Country | Australia |
| Line | Main Northern railway line |
| Operator | New South Wales Government Railways |
| Incident type | Collision |
| Cause | Runaway vehicles from goods train |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 2 |
| Deaths | 26 |
The Murulla rail accident involved the collision of the Sydney-bound Northern Mail with runaway goods wagons near Murrurundi, in the Upper Hunter Valley on 13 September 1926; 26 persons died. A goods train had become divided and the attempts of the train crew to reunite the portions resulted in 12 vehicles running away down a steep gradient, and colliding with the approaching mail train. This was the worst accident on the New South Wales rail network until the Granville railway disaster in 1977.