A major contributory cause was that the signalman had erroneously suspended "fog working", which would give greater distances between trains, due to a misunderstanding about whether fogmen were on duty.
The fog was worsened by the nearby Manchester Ship Canal and visibility was as low as 10 yards.
[2] At the conclusion of the Inquiry the Ministry of Transport Inspector blamed the signalman for the accident.
[3] The Rochdale train should not have been permitted to go towards the occupied junction, which was caused by the signalman not observing the block regulations and a confusion over which fogmen were on duty.
[3] The driver was also held partly to blame for his speed in low visibility conditions which would not allow him to observe the signals.