A BROKEN COUPLING

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 737, 9 February 1910, Page 6

A BROKEN COUPLING

AN ACCIDENT THAT .MIGHT, HAVE -/ :■ v;-: .bpn sEßiotis/ ■ ■:;.,. ....'About;.a.'■' fortnight.•'ago•• a, deputation waited on Minister for, Railways and urged that greater care should.be exercised, when starting. trains after stoppage dt a.station.,, The deputation urged this matter more particularly with respect to the heavy train that, leaves Wellington for' Paekakariki at 6.20 p.m., and ■ the Minister. promised to have the matter, attended to. On Monday last there, was |. a recurrence of this trouble,' and. n serious accident might easily have occurred.' A passenger by the 6.20 p.m.- train states that, on leaving, Ta,wa Flat, the jolt in starting broke the coupling between two passenger carriages,' and one of' the two chains was also snapped. Betweeu Tawa Flat and Porirua one portion of.the train was dependent entirely upon a einglo'chain, while the broken chain was trailed along the metals. Had the train been.going nphill it is very likely that a serious accident .would have resulted. As it was, there was a delay of half an hour at Porirua to disconnect the disabled carriage, "Tind this was still standing on . the rails at Porirua yesterday morning. A' mishap of this character js calculated, to■':make passengers and it is. to ■ be hoped the Minister will give the -necesEary instructions to prevent its recurrence/ <'. ... ■ . .The, mail train- from New Plymouth, which is due in Wellington at 7.20 p.m., was an .hour late last night,' the deLiy being due to' trouble wi.th the engine at Tawa l'lai. , -'-' - ,>. .:....,