Express Derailed

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 105, 20 May 1937, Page 5

Express Derailed

-Presa Aasocialfon.Y

DISASTER ESCAPED . BY MIRACLE Axle Breaks and Teara Up Track CARRIAGES DAMAGED

(By Telegraph-

AUCKLAND, !»• DtoMMc nearly overtobk the I ' pju, Bouth-bound expreis fetffll Auckland this aftemoon as the result of a deraikaent wWch occurred at 4.30 P-m. at th* Whangamarino bridgt, ii Sail*l south of Mercer. No-bne wae ihjdred bttt there Was a SeriOUs disl> cation in th* railway, ataryic^ . — — , The express had passed through Me*« cer and was travelling at high Speed just before the bridge which epuni th* Whangamarino stream wa* reached when the axle of a wheel of th* telfi bogoy of the laaies, carriage, four carriagee behind the engine, snapped. Ott* wheel remained attached to the bogey while the Other wheel and axle weri dragged nearly the full length of th* train and came to rest nnder th* guafd's van, ripping up the track and damaging the understrueture of th* . earriages as it did so and causing tho derailment of five vehicles, includtfig three earriages, a sleeper and thi guard's van. One of the earriages wa* overturned. The three earriages immediately behind the engine Wero not affected and th* postal van at the rear of th* traia also kept to the rails. The loose wheel of . the rear bogey which went astray ripped up th* track, smashed numerous sleepere on tho bridge and did considerabie damage to tho track on the far side of th* bridge • before the triin was pulled up. Thero were great gaps in the bridg* and tho damage had to be repaired by

plants. The Limited express left for Wellington at 11.15 o'clock to-night, four und a quarter hours behind schedule. I When the train came to a stattdstfUj 'th© guard's van was partly on th*( 'bridge, while the postal van was aetu-, ally on the struCtUfe. The paasengers were eonsideraWy shaken by the bnmping of the train, but no injuries occurred. The offlci&li in the postal van had to elamber on te . the top of the vehicle and had to walk along the top of the guard's van to g*t clear, there being no room on the bridge for them to get a footing. From the appearance of the damaged bridge and track it was a miracle that the train did not fall into tho Whangamarino stream, The check rails on the bridge appeared to have proved am effective safeguard. After a delay of two hours the paesengers were crowded into three ea* ri&ges in front of the train and weri taken to Frankton Jnnction where additional earriages were assembled. Th* express left Frankton June tion fori Wellington at 7.40 p.m., a littl* over^ two hours behind time. The mail van was taken back to Mercer and the eoxtents were *ent south by .the seeond express. Immediately the acddent wae teport, ed Mr. 0. M. Todd, stationmastet at I Mercer, and his etaff did all poeeible ti | deal with' the emergency. Gangs of ' platelayers and p«rman*nt way mem ! were organised and in a short timi about 50 men wero employed in renum ing the obstrneted axle, righting thi guard's van and repairing the track, The breakdown train with A 40-toa crane arrived at Mercer at 8.30 pjm and after , coaling proceeded t* thi scene of the aeeident. It wae expected, however, that several hours wottld elapse before ihe derailed vehicle* would be placed back on the rails and the track would be repaired and cleared, The men wefe working 1m a very cramped position, for on either eide of the single-lined track there was a steep; embankment leading to ihe Whanga-j marino swamp which owing to the reJ cent heavy rain was a Wide and daepj expanse of water, and there was no room in which to lay a diversion track. The section between Frankton and; Auckland wae completely disprganisedi by tho accident. The Taneatua- Auckland express, which was running am. hour late on aceount of the eondition of the line between Raeroa and Ti

Aroha, was held up at Te Kauwhata and the passengers and luggage wera transferred by bus and truck to Mercel; where a special train left at 8.40 p.m* for Auckland nearly three honre behind time. Other northbound train* were held up at either Huntly or Ti Kauwhata, while the southbound trainc were stopped at Mercer, and the peasengers and goods were transferred by road. The departure of the second ' southbound express due to leave Auckland af 7 p.m. was delayed until 11 p.m*