TRAIN MISHAP

Evening Star, Issue 21748, 16 June 1934, Page 19

TRAIN MISHAP

THREE WAGOHS DERAILED Three wagons attached to the rear of the 7.52 a.in. train from Dunedin to Cromwell were derailed yesterday while the train was travelling between Auripo and Lauder. Two of the vehicles were thrown from the permanent. way and rolled down the hank, hut the other wagon remained on the track, though oil the rails. INo one was travelling in any of the three wagons affected, and there were no casualties, hut the track, the permanent way, and the vehicles are understood to have suffered considerable damage, tio far as could he ascertained last night there was no apparent reason for the accident. immediately behind the guard’s van there was a ZP roadsider —a goods and luggage van used for the carriage of passengers’ luggage and the various odd packages picked up at intermediate stations, This vehicle suddenly left the rails, but remained on the permanent way. it was followed by a petrol tank wagon which left the track in the wake of the preceding van, and when the couplings broke it swung round and went over d; bank, as did another ZP roadsider wliich formed the. last unit of the tram. The tram was immediately stopped, and the crew made what investigations were possible to discover the cause of the mishap, but the track and rails were damaged to such an extent that a superficial examination was not sufficient to reveal the reason. The tram continued its journey to Cromwell after about two hours' delay. The vans and petrol wagon were in good order when the train was despatched from Dunedin, and no weakness was revealed when the wheels were, examined at Ranfurly. tio far as is known there was no defect in the rails at the scene of the accident, the down train from Cromwell having passed over the section in. safety some time previously, and as yet the possibility of either the track or the tram having caused the accident is purely a matter of conjecture. As soon as the train reached Omakau a work train was sent away from that station to commence the work of clearing the line, and a break-down train, equipped with all the necessary equipment for the work, was assembled at Dunedin. It left for the scene of the accident at 6 o’clock last night. LINE NOW REPAIRED. The lino was torn up for n distance of 120yds, but this has now been repaired and made fit for traffic, which, however, has to cross tjie section at a considerably reduced speed. The bogey wagon that -was derailed was not damaged, but extensive damage was done to the body and under-frame of the wagon that fell over the bank, dim petrol wagon carried 5.600 gal of spirit, which is a total loss. The majority of the mails carried on the train were in the guard’s van, and these . were not affected by the accident, but there was also a quantity of mail matter in the last van, and this had to be salvaged from the wreckage. Some was saved during the day. and the postal authorities sent men with the breakdown train to take charge of the remainder and see to its immediate despatch. The district railways engineer (Mr P. H. Morey) and several railway officials also left for the of the accident, and a representative of the Shell Company of New Zealand accompanied the party. At the place where the mishap occurred the line runs along almost flat country, and then commences to climb a short gradient. In view of this fact it is believed that the speed of the train would be moderate. No estimate of the value of the poods damaged will he available until a full examination is made.