Steam train braking system 'turned off before'

The Tangmere locomotive passed a signal at danger earlier this year

Safety equipment which was turned off allowing a steam train to pass a red signal had been turned off on previous occasions, a report has shown.

The train passed a signal near Royal Wootton Bassett in March and ended up across a junction.

A Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report showed an Automatic Warning System (AWS) brake demand was by-passed by the train's crew.

The report said it was not the only occasion when it had been by-passed.

The driver of the Tangmere locomotive ignored two AWS warnings, the report showed.

He fully applied the brakes when he saw the red signal but there was insufficient distance to bring the train to a halt.

The report found the First Great Western service from Swansea to London Paddington had "fortunately" already passed through the junction before the stream train came to a halt.

The steam train was operated as a charter service by the West Coast Railway Company Ltd (WCRC).

The editor of Rail magazine, Nigel Harris, said: "Do not underestimate how serious this was. We were a heartbeat from absolute catastrophe.

"Because the driver missed the red signal his train stopped across the junction.

"No more than a minute before that a First Great Western express heading for London was occupying that junction at nearly 100 mph."

The RAIB said it was continuing to investigate the incident and "the extent of the practice" of by-passing the AWS.

The competence of the train crew involved, and how this was managed by WCRC, will also be investigated.