Issue 15 of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society Newsletter (Autumn 1964) carried an article about historic mishaps, including details of what was believed to be the only fatal accident ever to occur on the line. This was based on a report in the Whitehaven News, 3 Nov 1898. Here is the rival Cumberland Pacquet account of the same event (also 3 Nov 1898, page 5; headline as above). Note that the reporting of stoker Farren's inquest testimony is rather misleading; even if the train had been at a full stop before the incident, it was moving faster than walking pace when the victim fell.

  On Friday last Mr. Thomas Bell, the popular guard of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, met with his death by accident while on duty at Irton Road Station. This is the first fatal accident that has occurred on this railway. The deceased, who was much respected in the dale, will be a missed man not only by the residents, but also by a large circle of friends among the summer tourists who frequent the line during the season. He had been in the employ of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Co. for about 13 years. In various periodicals much has been written about the Eskdale line, and attention was always drawn to the late Mr. Bell, who filled so many offices on the line, carrying out the duties of stationmaster while the train was at the five stations, porter, ticket collector, and guard. He was always obliging, his kindness in this respect extending to stopping a train between stations to pick up a passenger.
  On Saturday an inquest was held at the Pennington Arms Hotel, Ravenglass, by Mr. J. Webster, coroner for the lordship of Egremont, and a jury consisting of Messrs. R. Davidson (foreman), J. Thwaites, D. Stockdale, Thomas Atkinson, R. Walker, John Pharaoh, John Gambles, R. Myers, C.W. Irwin, R. Bell, W. Wilson, and J. Thompson.
  Jane Bell, daughter of deceased, deposed that her father died on Friday morning between nine and ten o'clock. He was 53 years of age, and was guard on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. She last saw him alive about 9.15. He had been at work; he went to work at 6.15 a.m., to go with the mailbags. Afterwards he came home to luncheon.
  By the Coroner: He never suffered from giddiness, and always enjoyed good health.
  John Farren, stoker, said he travelled with the same train as deceased. They left Ravenglass about 9.45. They would be a little late. The train consisted of a locomotive, one passenger carriage, one goods van, and four wagons of coal. The train went all right until the accident occurred at the Ravenglass side of Irton Road Station. They were going at the rate of six or seven miles an hour. The deceased had to take off two coal wagons, and the train stopped to enable him to uncouple the wagons. When the engine stopped witness went to the points, and Bell got off the train and gave the signal to the driver, who started. He was standing on the brake of the wagon when he held his hand for the train to go. He was on the brake to pull out the pin, and in uncoupling the wagons he overbalanced himself. Witness did not see how he fell.
  By the Coroner: Deceased got the pin pulled out and the whole train was started. The same plan had been carried out at Irton Road for the last seven or eight years, the time witness had been on the line. Witness was at the points when the accident occurred. The first wagon was thrown off the line and the second two wheels went over him. He was not dead when witness got to him; he groaned twice.
  Inspector Johnstone, of Millom, said he was a passenger on the train. He saw the guard get off and go to the rear of the train. When they got to the platform, he saw the manager run; he looked out and saw that something had happened. Witness ran and was the first to reach deceased, who breathed three times. His left thigh was completely crushed by the wheel of the wagon, and his spinal vertebra was fractured close to the base of the skull. There were no other marks of violence on the body. Witness had passed over the metals; the place where the accident occurred was nine yards from the points, which are 80 or 100 yards from the station. The wagons could not be thrown off by the points; the points were not at fault. The deceased was perfectly sober.
  R. Woodley, manager of the line, said deceased was in the habit of uncoupling the wagons at Irton Road when in motion. It was commonly called slipping over the points.
  In reply to the coroner, witness said it was the practice always followed at Irton Road, but he had given instructions for it to be stopped.
  The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental death".

THE FUNERAL
  The funeral took place on Tuesday afternoon at Muncaster, and was very largely attended. There were some very pretty floral tributes, including a beautiful cross from Lady Muncaster, and a wreath from the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway staff. As will be seen from an advertisement in another column, a subscription fund is being opened on behalf of the widow and family of the unfortunate man.

The advertisement referred to appears on page 1 of the paper: