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Quintinshill Rail Disaster Multi-Cache

This cache has been archived.

Original A1: It is with a sense of desolation that I archive this cache, only 19 months after it was published. GCUK notified me today that he found it trashed and emptied of its contents.

Although he patched it up and put a fresh log book and silica sachet inside, I feel that this has been a vandalism too far and want no association with people who have such little disregard of other people's creations, let alone a war memorial. The cache wasn't of course on the actual site of the memorial, but it was blatantly clear from the contents that it was a tribute to all the people who died that day in 1915. GCUK has read what I think of them and I'm afraid I can't publish that here.

Thank you to everyone who made the effort to find the cache, to pay their own respects, and I'm glad that the cache educated one or two about the actual horrible event. That was its intention. Because the log book was taken, I didn't get to read your comments made on the spot. Occasionally nowadays people do write more than just "TFTC" and there had been the opportunity in this case.

In pace requiescat. Perhaps fitting for this horrible year.

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Hidden : 5/7/2015
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

A straight-forward multi to commemorate the centenary of the Quintinshill Rail Disaster of 22nd May 1915.

One hundred years ago today, the United Kingdom suffered its worst ever rail disaster just north of Gretna, close to the English border, following the collision of five trains in total, in an horrific sequence of events.

At the listed co-ordinates on the bridge, there is a plaque erected in memory of "Leith's Own" - the 7th Royal Scots who lost approximately 214 soldiers amongst the estimated 227 people killed. Their train was heading south from Larbert to Liverpool, from where they were to sail down to fight at Gallipoli; it collided with a local passenger train heading north, and an express train travelling north to Glasgow then crashed into the carnage. The ensuing fire and gas explosions engulfed two nearby goods trains. Thought should be spared too for the civilians who also lost their lives. It wasn't possible to identify everyone who was killed, such was the ferocity of the fire.

Accounts far better than any I can provide are in the weblink above and on Jack Aubrey and Firth of Forth's excellent write-up of the incident for their own cache in Edinburgh (visit link) It was their cache which first drew my attention to the crash and I felt it was appropriate to bring cachers here to the site where the crashes occurred. Because it is a war memorial, the cache is not at the listed co-ordinates but can be found a short distance away. Co-ords are provided for parking. Please take care not to block the entrance. Please also be sensitive to other visitors to the site, and discreet about the cache itself.

Although it is possible to look at images of the plaque online, it is up to you whether you wish to do some of the number-crunching online or collate the numbers at GZ. You will not though be able to find all the information online.

Firstly, let the first number on the plaque be A.

The number of the bridge is B.

To the left of the plaque, the wall drops and there is some engraving on the flat surface, including the outline of a hand – C. If it is a left hand, let C = 1; if it is a right hand, let C = 2.

There are two letters on the top left of the same stone. Using A = 1, B = 2, etc., convert these two letters into numbers – DE.

Take a large step to the left and look to the right. How many Scots Pines are visible on the edge of the woodland (F)?

Checking for traffic, cross the road. To the left, there is a white picket fence and either side, a wooden fence. How many horizontal bars are on the right-hand fence (G)?

Looking over the wall, there are a number of steps down to the tracks. How many in the straight line perpendicular to the tracks (H)?

Checksum - A+B+C+D+E+F+G+H = 76

The cache can be found at

N 55 00.A(E+C)(E-F)
W 003 0D.(E-G)(B-2H)(A-D+F)

You can either walk carefully to GZ or park a little closer. To park closer, add 008 to the final Northings and 102 to the final Westings.

Amongst the cache contents is a list of the soldiers who were on the troop train, an account of the disaster, reproduced with permission from the Royal Scots and a copy of a letter written by a survivor of both the disaster and Gallipoli, Captain Alex Wightman to my great-grandfather, describing his own experiences. For his actions in Gallipoli, he was awarded the Military Cross.

Lest We Forget.

* * * * * * FTF: Niels&Sandra * * * * * *

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Fbhgurea ebbgf

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)