HAIR-RAISING THRILL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5209, 28 November 1927, Page 1

HAIR-RAISING THRILL.

ON EDGE OF RAVINE. DRIVER SAVES DERAILED TRAIN. Quick wit on the part of the driver of an express train travelling from Aberdeen to Euston averted disaster of an appalling nature in an extraordinary mishap, says a London paper. The derailment of part of the train threatened to plunge it over a viaduct, 150 ft high, and between 50'0 and 600 passengers on board had a hairraising experience before the coaches were safely brought to rest on the brink of the ravine. The scene of the mishap was the Log’c Viaduct, near Stonehaven, about 15 miles south of Aberdeen. As the train, drawn by two powerful engines, was gathering speed in the darkpess on a down gradient, about a Quarter of a mile from the viaduct, th© second locomotive, two corridor conches, a dining car, and a sleeping saloon all left the rails. The driver of the leading engine, realising that there was something seriously wrong, applied the brakes gradually and brought the train to a standstill a task of some difficulty on account of the slope. Had he put them on suddenly, the derailed .would probably have been thrown over the viaduct. As it was, the parpet of the bridge was torn away by the derailed coaches, huge, boulders crashing into the roadway below, leaving an unguaided drop. Apparently th,© accident was caused by the air tank of the second eng’ne becoming detached, this causing the locomotive and the four leading vehicles to leave the rails. When the torn-up track was viewed byl antern-light, the amazing way in which the expregs escaped destruction became evident. The wheels of the derailed’ engine and coaches had ploughed a deep furrow along the outside edge of the sleepers. In passing over the viaduct the derailed coaches werei tilted. The running boards and other parts had dug into the freestone coping, and every few yards had knocked away big portions of the solid masonry. Luckily the rest of the bridge withstood the shock, otherwise the weight of the engine and derailed coaches might have dragged the entire train tto disaster. The carriages stopped only a foot or two from the edge of! the terrible drop. While many of the coaches were badly damaged there was no telescoping. Nobody was hurt, but there was much alarm among the passengers, a large number of whom were holiday makers from Aberdeen. Several women fainted. Breakdown gangs worked for six hours to clear th© line sufficiently for the rest of the train to crawl across the viaduct and continue its journey. During the ordeal of waiting the occupants of some carriages indulged in chorus singing. The train ultimately reached Euston seven hours after the scheduled time. Among the passengers was Lady Keppel, wife of Sir Derek Keppel, who was returning from the Highlands to London. Describing the adventure, she stated : “We suddenly felt a’ terrific shock, which ran through the train. Glasses in th© dining saloon were dislodged, and women went into hysterics. Clasping my little Pekinese dog.l sat tight. Although it was dark outside, one could look into a fearsome ravine, Deep down, below was what looked like water. If we had turned to the left instead of to the right: we should have gone over. For what seemed like five minutes we endured agony of suspense, while the train pounded along, the coaches swaying from side to side, and ' the wheels clashing against the railway chairs and making an indescribable din.’”