THE Clapham rail disaster killed 35 people and injured more than 100 others.

But it could have been so much worse.

A British Rail engineer at the Rayner’s Park traction control centre saw the circuit breakers trip out, turning off power on the Bournemouth to Waterloo line.

The employee, known only as Mr Reid, was singled out for praise after it was revealed that, instead of trying to reset the fuses, he realised something was wrong.

If he had put power back to the line, a packed commuter train from the London suburbs, travelling to Waterloo, would have powered into the rear of the smashed train at Clapham.

Instead, the commuter train lost power and just coasted, stopping 40 yards from the wreckage.

The Bournemouth driver of the crash train was also hailed a hero for staying at the controls until the moment of impact.

John Rolls, 54, was fighting to stop the speeding express when it smashed into the stationary Basingstoke train.

He only saw the train 300 yards ahead of him for the first time, because of a bend in the track.

At the moment of impact, he was believed to have turned away from the smash, although he never left his driver’s seat.

Mr Rolls was thrown 80 feet and pronounced dead on his arrival at hospital.

Sue Rolls, from Bournemouth, wife of John Rolls, will be attending the memorial service.

She said: “Time does not heal. It is, and always will be, unbelievably sad that my husband was unlawfully taken away from both me and our daughters, something which is impossible to accept.”