Tragedy struck on Sunday when four local men died after being hit by a runaway rail trolley at Tebay.

Reporters Paul Duncan and Justin Hawkins look at what happened on the tracks that day, find out about the human cost from the families of the victims and consider calls for a public inquiry in the aftermath of the accident.

FOUR men met their deaths in a tragic accident as they worked on the West Coast Mainline at Tebay, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Gary Tindall, 46, from Tebay, Chris Waters, 54, from Morecambe, Colin Buckley, 49, from Carnforth, and 30-year-old Darren Burgess, also from Carnforth died when a 20-tonne maintenance trolley carrying old track sections rolled three miles downhill before ploughing into them in the pre-dawn darkness.

The victims were part of a 10-strong team replacing track while colleagues worked further up the line at Scout Green, just north of Tebay village.

The wagon which killed them was being unloaded at Scout Green when it started to move. One worker there is believed to have been injured trying to stop the 15-foot long wagon rolling away, but it gained enough momentum to set off on a three-mile journey to the spot where the track team worked, close to where the A685 Kendal to Tebay road crosses the M6 and the tracks of the West Coast Main Line.

Moving under its own weight, the trolley gathered speed up to 40mph and would have reached the men on the track at Tebay in minutes.

In the darkness at around 6am, the trackmen, employed by maintenance contractor Carillion, were using petrol-powered generators to light the site. Some may have been wearing ear defenders to protect themselves from the sound of plant machinery.

The four men were killed when the runaway trolley ploughed into their work party at speed. Three others suffered leg injuries and were taken to Royal Lancaster Infirmary where one man underwent surgery for "serious, but not life-threatening injuries."

Peter Davies of the British Transport Police said officers arriving at the Tebay trackside on Sunday were confronted with "a scene of devastation." He said the men's injuries were so severe they would have died instantly.

A joint investigation has been launched by the British Transport Police and the Health and Safety Executive. BTP Inspector Chris Connell said: "The inquiry will take some time. It is a process of discovery and, as soon as it is finalised, it will go to the relevant authorities to see what action should or should not be taken."

Inquests into the deaths were opened and adjourned at an Eden Coroner's Court in Penrith on Wednesday. The coroner will eventually hold jury inquests into the deaths when investigations are complete.

All railway wagons of the kind in the tragedy at Tebay have been removed from service by Network Rail pending its investigation.

l The four men who died all worked for Carillion Rail, which employs 4,000 staff on maintenance and other railway projects. The company has remained tight-lipped about the Tebay crash since Sunday. But a statement from chief executive John McDonough offered condolences to the bereaved families of its workers and said: "The accident is now the subject of a British Transport Police, HSE and Rail Safety Standards Board inquiry. Carillion is doing everything possible to support and co-operate with the investigating authorities."