It was supposed to be just another Monday evening commute between Scotland's two largest cities, but for 13 of the passengers boarding the 17:30 Edinburgh to Glasgow service on July 30 1984, it would sadly be their last.
The packed train passed through its usual path, leaving Linlithgow with no issue. Before long, however, disaster struck.
The train's driver, John Tennant, spotted a cow on the line near Polmont on the approach to Falkirk High. With only 12 seconds to react, he slammed on the emergency brakes - though a delay from the back of the train caused a sudden backlash to the carriages in the front.
The train ultimately hit the cow, lifting the carriage off the track and derailing it. The driver of the earlier 17:15 eastbound service from Glasgow to Edinburgh had reported the animal, but it was too late to prevent the tragedy.
British Rail said the warning was received ‘almost simultaneously’ with the accident. One of the passengers, Paul Neeson, told the Aberdeen Evening Express about the ordeal.
He said: “I was in the second coach from the front - and was finishing a cup of coffee as we left Linlithgow. It seemed just a few minutes later the brakes were applied, the way you would in a car.
“But then the brakes were applied hard and the train started shuddering. It got worse, the carriage started to rock from side to side and I could hear we were going over gravel.”
The casualties were mainly in the two leading vehicles, with most fatalities due to passengers being thrown from windows or hit by objects or other riders.
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In what would become known in time as the Polmont Rail Disaster, 13 people lost their lives at the scene of the crash, with a further 61 were injured. Jane Hogg and her nine-year-old daughter Allison were returning from a day out in Edinburgh, with no idea they would never make it home.
As British Rail investigated the accident, police continued to release names of the other victims. Among them was BBC radio producer Martin Goldman, as well as five young Glasgow men - Robert Maider, John Elder, Francis Hastings, Thomas Campbell and Colin McCallum.
Dr William Thomson, a medical manager and consultant anaesthetist was at the scene. He said: “It was really a matter of checking the dead and assisting with the release of those trapped. The injuries were almost all in the first two coaches.”
Dr Thomson confirmed that those who had been brought to hospital were in serious conditions, though not critical. Injuries ranged from broken legs to crushing injuries, to minor cuts and bruises.
After the dust had settled, rail crews worked overnight to begin repairs to the line and a crane was on site to lift the wreckage. Trees had to be cut down to allow the machinery through to the tracks, and the line opened two days later on August 2.
By this time, it was announced that a public inquiry was to be held looking into the rail tragedy. Transport Minister Mr David Mitchell told MPs that the inquiry would investigate the issue of push-pull trains, similar to the type involved in the crash.
The inquiry also called for British Rail to undertake an urgent survey of their track fencing, in order to prevent animals from causing a similar accident elsewhere. Also suggested was improvement for the communication between trains.
In 2009, on the 25th anniversary of the accident, a memorial plaque was unveiled by Falkirk Council to remember those who died or were injured. The memorial also acknowledges the efforts of the emergency services and railway workers.
Among those lost in the Polmont train crash of 1984 were Jane Hogg, Alison Hogg, Agnes Barr, Elizabeth Barr, Robert Maider, Martin Goldman, John Elder, Francis Hastings, Thomas Campbell, Colin Mccalin, and Robert Biggat.
