Thanks very much to BOB and the Dr Z
If one is interested in such things, accident reports from the last quarter of the 19th century can be revealing
So often a sentence such as this appears:
"The driver/engineer did all he could do by shutting the throttle and reversing the engine"
Some actually did shut the throttle and apply brakes, with very much better outcome.
For a reason I have been unable to determine, Galton rose only to Captain, but was later knighted.
He reported on US RRs in the 1850s, and his other accomplishments include many things, such as hospital design and sanitation. As Dr Z posted, the principles established by Galton-Westinghouse still must be respected- brake force v adhesion, friction v speed etc.
SOme have been 'worked around" by brake shoe materials, wheelslip detection and other things, but the basics remain to bite the unwary