A STEAM engine on a popular heritage railway collided with carriages when the driver became distracted by visitors and forgot to change the points.

The force of the impact at Pickering Station, North Yorkshire, knocked several passengers to the floor. One was taken to hospital as a precaution, but was discharged the same evening.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) released its report into the incident yesterday.

The collision happened at 3.24pm on May 5 during a gala event being run by the North York Moors Railway.

The 2pm train from Grosmont arrived at Pickering at 3.15pm, when the locomotive - a Class K1 engine built for British Rail in 1949 - was uncoupled and driven into a shunting area.

The points should then have been changed to allow the locomotive to move to the other end of the carriages, but, according to the RAIB report, the driver became involved in conversation with members of the public who were asking about the operation of the railway.

"The driver was concerned about time pressure before the train's departure and broke off the conversation to return to the cab," states the report.

"In doing so, he overlooked that he had not changed the points."

The crew then set off, but none could see the actual lie of the points because the boiler of the locomotive restricted their vision. When the driver realised they were on the wrong line, he immediately applied the brakes, but it was too late to stop.

The locomotive was not damaged in the collision, but there was minor damage to one carriage.

The report concluded: "There is no evidence that the condition of the locomotive, carriages, track or the competence of any crew members contributed to the collision."

A recommendation was made that the person operating the points must remain there and only call a locomotive forward when the ground-level signals have changed.

Philip Benham, general manager of the railway, said: "We have already taken action on some of the recommendations, of which there weren't many. This was something that had not happened in over 30 years of operation and our hope is that the actions we have taken will make sure it won't happen again in the next 30 years."