NEW SHUNTING YARDS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 130, 2 May 1940, Page 4

NEW SHUNTING YARDS

SOUTHERN END UNSUITABLE. DEPUTATION TO ENGINEER. Tlie district railway engineer (Mr Dow), who was met at the Feilding station yesterday afternoon by the Mayor (Mr T. L. Seddon) and members of the sub-committee set up to discuss tho new shunting yards at I'eilding, with a view to having them placed at tho southern end of the station, held out no hope of the present work at the northern end being suspended. Ho said that, while not impossible, it would bo impracticable to place the yards at the southern end for the reason that it would interfere with the stock yards built a little over a year ago and also that there would be too great a gap between the goods shed and the goods yard and this would necessitate continual shunting over the Gladstone Street crossing. The carriers and live-stock agents would have a complaint to make if they had to go to tho South Street crossing to get to the loading yards. On the other hand, the engineer added, the now yards at present under construction would result in the hulk of the-shunting operations being done inside the yards, and this would not require the continual traffic to and fro across the Ivimbolton Road crossing. Idle engineer did not think the six sets of rails would make the Ivimbolton Road crossing any more dangerous than it is at jiresent. In reply to a question, the engineer said that the construction of a subway was out of the question, and he cited the position at Taumarunui, where the department had spent a large sum of money in providing a subway beneath a. very dangerous crossing. There the pedestrians still preferred to go over the crossing, and a fence which had been erected to force the people to-use the subway had been interfered with and the wires cut. “People will not use the' subroute,” he added. The engineer stated that, if necessary, additional safety zones would be supplied, and if there were any suggestions as to how the warning devices could hq improved he would he pleased to consider them. When the shunting operations extended over the crossing a man would be in attendance to safeguard traffic. The bells and wig-wag signal would still operate if the engine-driver fouled the circuit, , but that would not occur very often. Mr R. G. Croudis (stationmaster), intimated that there would be very little shunting done at night.