A Modern View: Looking Towards the Scene of the Accident: Photo Chris West I often lament that that we fail to preserve the present for the future. If only a few officers (and former officers) who were involved in the major incidents touching the railways over the last 40 years were to set down what they saw and what they did we would be handing on a wonderful gift to future historians. In this regard I was disappointed that suggestions for a project to capture the experience of BTP officers (and staff) during the pandemic did not get off the ground. The history of policing the railways and docks of the UK is a fragile thing. If it is not preserved it will be suffocated by the histories of bigger organisations. With this at the back of mind I have been looking at some of the early railway accidents. The reports of HM Railway Inspectorate provide an invaluable source. The very first report for the Board of Trade by an Inspec...