Matthew Stott, of King Street Padiham, using his Zenit camera to beat the professionals for his news picture. While on his paper round he heard the crash and rushed across a field but most of the action took place further down the line.

Diesel engine driver Mr. Edward Shackleton, of Lowerhouse Lane, Burnley and his shunter, Mr. Trevor Lyall, of Laithe Street Burnley, escaped serious injury by jumping clear from their cab before their goods train careered out of control and crashed through buffers on a Padiham siding. They were detained at Burnley Victoria Hospital with head and arm injuries. A third man in the goods train, Mr. Anthony Middleton of Carlton Street Nelson, also jumped clear but was unhurt. His end of the train was not derailed.

It happened about 7.50 on Friday morning, the 23rd July 1971, when the 74-ton diesel was taking coal to Padiham power station from Rosegrove. A police spokesman at the scene said: "Just before the train enters the power station it is supposed to stop while the driver's mate switches the points." After it failed to stop near the bridge over Station Road the driver and his mate jumped out of the cab. As the points were not changed the train went down a siding for about a mile before crashing. It hit the buffers and went on for 30 yards and then stopped. A wire fence separates the siding from the power station area and the diesel No. D7654 of the VB(LQ) class made in Manchester in 1956, finished up tilted against the wire.