Robert Wilsdon had been a driver for British Rail's Southern Region, based at Hither Green TMD, since December 1961. He had worked on the railways since 1958 and was qualified to drive the British Rail Class 47 locomotive. Over his career he had been reprimanded five times. Three were minor - unauthorised absence in October 1960, persistent lateness in February 1961, a relatively minor driving offence in February 1963. Two were serious. On 7 November 1961 he was fined £150 for being drunk and disorderly, causing damage to a shop window, and assaulting a police constable while off-duty. British Rail wasn't notified until a colleague of Wilsdon's was charged similarly five days later. Both men were suspended. Wilsdon appealed, said the event was an isolated incident, said he had been celebrating a promotion to Passed Fireman, and told the union ASLEF he would not drink again. He was reinstated on 18 December 1961 and promoted to driver a week later, on Christmas Day. The 1972 inquiry agreed that at the time, no one had reason to disbelieve him. The second incident was less dramatic but more telling: on 28 March 1969 he was fined £1 for being drunk in Lewisham. He had not, in fact, stopped drinking.

On 11 June 1972, Wilsdon joined his two brothers for lunch around 12:55. They went to a local pub and stayed until closing time just after 14:00. Wilsdon drank two pints of light and bitter and a half pint of light ale - his brothers said so, having drunk similarly. According to the brothers, they returned home and spent the afternoon indoors with the children. They were adamant at the later inquiry that Robert had not drunk again before being driven to Rainham station at 17:15. But the Secondman, P.E. Stokes, an 18-year-old who would join Wilsdon as second driver, recalled meeting Wilsdon at Ramsgate Depot around 18:25 and noticing something pretty strong on his breath. Wilsdon explained that he had been drinking at lunchtime and later had some sherry prior to arriving. The inquiry concluded the brothers' account was probably incomplete. Around 19:00, Wilsdon suggested to Stokes that they pop into the Railway Staff Association Club for a drink. They arrived just as the club opened at 19:05. According to club staff who served them, they each drank three pints of light and bitter, and Wilsdon possibly drank another half pint of light ale. At Wilsdon's urging, they returned to the depot at around 19:40. Guard Atterbury, the 57-year-old guard who had been preparing the train for departure, briefed them on the train's particulars. Wilsdon appeared sober and routine. The empty train left Ramsgate and made an uneventful journey to Margate, arriving at around 19:59.

Boarding at Margate was routine. By 20:04, passengers were aboard. Stationmaster Arundell signalled clear to depart - but there was no response from the cab. Arundell went to check. The cab was empty. When he returned shortly afterwards, he saw a pair of beer bottles inside; he thought they were a gift from the excursion organisers, a normal tip for an off-duty driver. He didn't question them. Wilsdon and Stokes returned, took the train out at 20:13, eight minutes late. A platform staff member noticed both crewmen leaving the station via Platform 1 three minutes after their arrival. Where they went is unknown. Wilsdon died in the crash and Stokes had little recollection of events after Ramsgate. The autopsy on Wilsdon's body found a blood alcohol content of 0.278% - over three times the legal driving limit for a road vehicle at the time of 0.08% - with an imbalance in urine alcohol levels suggesting he had been drinking within an hour of death. Approaching Eltham Park railway station, Guard Atterbury became concerned at the train's speed. He made two light applications - splashes - of the guard's brake. They were too late and too light to register in the cab. Railman Akehurst at Eltham Well Hall had watched several earlier trains slow to 20 mph for the curve. When he saw the excursion approaching, he was certain it was traveling far beyond that speed. He tried to signal the driver to stop, but couldn't gain Wilsdon's attention. In the cab, Stokes later recalled, Wilsdon had suddenly shouted in a frightened way at the sight of the curve approaching. Stokes braced himself in the seconds available.

The locomotive jumped the curve, derailed, rolled onto its left side, and slid through a coal yard. The front of the cab was torn open and debris ploughed inside, killing Wilsdon and severely injuring Stokes. The first coach jack-knifed and came to rest against the locomotive. The second and third coaches overturned. The fourth ended up roughly 90 degrees to the track, leaning on its left side; the fifth, sixth, and seventh derailed and leaned. Only the tenth coach, where Guard Atterbury was riding, remained upright on the rails. Two passengers died at the scene. A woman later died of her injuries in August. A man died in November. With Wilsdon, that made five fatalities and one hundred and twenty-five passengers injured. The public inquiry, led by Colonel John R.H. Robertson, reported on 1 June 1973. It found the accident was caused entirely by the actions of Robert Wilsdon, who had grossly impaired his ability to drive safely by drinking a considerable quantity of alcohol both before and after booking on duty. Stokes was severely criticised for his disgraceful behaviour in drinking three pints before working the train, but the report noted his young age and lack of authority to challenge an experienced driver. Atterbury was not criticised. Following the crash, the signals around Eltham Well Hall were redesigned to slow trains approaching the curve, so that a driver could not be caught by surprise. The names of the four passengers who died are not part of the public record in the formal report. They were day-trippers, going home from a Sunday at the seaside, who placed their trust in a man who was at the controls of a locomotive while severely intoxicated. They are who, in the end, this story is about.