THE Friends of St John's Church organisation is holding an event to commemorate the 1840 railway accident.

The talk on the famous incident is being held at the Kidderminster Road-based church from 7.30pm on Tuesday, November 10.

This will be the date, exactly 175 years to the day, the engine Surprise exploded and killed railwaymen Thomas Scaife and Joseph Rutherford.

The gravestones of the pair are in the churchyard of St John's, originally erected in 1842.

The Church Fabric Committee at St John's, led by lifelong railway enthusiast Alastair Moseley, successfully carried out a major restoration of the stones in 2013, carried out by craftsmen Mike Ford.

The talk, being given by Neville Billington, explores what happened and how people reacted to the accident.

It will be more than just an explanation of what happened to the engine and the railwaymen, exploring issues like the class system of the time.

The talk, entitled An Explosion of Intrigue, will also examine the trouble with the Lickey incline, and the struggle to find an engine able to climb the Lickey incline.

Everyone is welcome to attend the talk. Tickets cost £2.50 and are available on the door. Doors open at 7pm.

For more details visit the Facebook page, FriendsStJohnsBromsgrove.