Play's North East tour revives remarkable tale of how Cramlington miners derailed the Flying Scotsman
A new play which tracks the curious story of how a group of striking miners in Northumberland derailed the world-famous Flying Scotsman in 1926 will set off on a tour of the region this autumn.
The Cramlington Train Wreckers, by local playwright Ed Waugh, opens its nine-date run on November 7 in the town where the real-life incident it's based upon played out in 1926. And, with a performance set to follow at The Glasshouse then tour dates extending to County Durham, its story no doubt will gain momentum in bringing a forgotten event back into the spotlight.
Waugh, whose plays includes the recent Wor Bella about the First World War success of local female footballers, is a champion of often-ignored working class tales and this time he turns his attention to the time of the 1926 General Strike. Amid widespread unrest, the "notorious incident" he writes about happened that May, when he describes how Northumberland miners uncoupled the Flying Scotsman on the main-line Edinburgh to London railway at Cramlington.
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They instead had been aiming to scupper the journey of a coal train they thought was breaking the strike. Ed, who has had five plays produced at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, said: "The event happened on May 10, seven days into the nine-day General Strike, which was the biggest rupture in society since the civil war of the 1640s.
"The intention was to take up a rail then wave down and stop a blackleg coal train that the miners felt was undermining the strike. Unfortunately for the perpetrators, they inadvertently derailed a passenger train carrying 281 passengers.
"It could have been mass murder!” He adds: "Thankfully, the volunteer driver had been warned of trouble ahead and slowed down, meaning when the engine and five carriages were derailed no-one was killed.
"The only injury was minor, to a man's foot. Most people were treated for shock and bruises and continued their journey from Newcastle.”
The incident, which made national and international headlines, resulted in eight Cramlington miners being sentenced to a hefty total of 48 years. These sentences were widely seen as too harsh and the "wreckers" were eventually released early due to pressure from trade unions, politicians and even the judiciary, says Ed.
The writer of the likes of Hadaway Harry and The Great Joe Wilson added: "The story of The Cramlington Train Wreckers is one of high dramatic tension and has become an important part of North East folklore and British history, although largely forgotten today." He says the 1926 strike had started after miners were told to take a 40% cut in wages to 'improve productivity' and much of Britain, including railway workers and engineers, supported their strike, bringing the country "to a standstill".
Ed says: “More than 10,000 strikers were arrested during the General Strike, some just for picketing. There is strong evidence that the Cramlington miners were used by the Government and judiciary as an example against working class resistance.”
He and Wisecrack Productions, which presents the play, have been working with local communities and discussing the 1926 strike in the run-up to its centenary, looking at the likes of whether the 'wreckers' were terrorists or workers trying to defend their livelihoods.
The Cramlington Train Wreckers, whose cast and crew include Russell Floyd and Micky Cochrane, is supported by Arts Council England. For tickets to its November tour dates - listed below - see here.
The Cramlington Train Wreckers tour dates
November 7 - Cramlington Learning Village Theatre, 4pm and 7pm
November 8 - The Glasshouse, Gateshead, 8pm
November 9 - Bishop Auckland Town Hall, 7.30pm
November 10 - Hexham Queen's Hall, 2pm and 7.30pm
November 12 - The Witham, Barnard Castle, 7.30pm
November 13 - The Playhouse, Whitley Bay, 7.30pm
November 14 - Alnwick Playhouse, 7.30pm
November 15 - Gosforth Civic Theatre, 2.30pm and 7.30pm
November 16 - Westovian Theatre, South Shields, 2.30pm and 7.30pm