Trains Collide at Penrose Station

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 301, 12 March 1928, Page 9

Trains Collide at Penrose Station

RACEHORSES IMPRISONED SUBURBAN TRAFFIC DELAYED A goods train and a special train carrying racehorses from the Franklin meeting collided at Penrose on Saturday evening, and three horse boxes and an empty passenger car were derailed, one box carrying three horses turning completely on its side. Suburban traffic was dislocated for about an hour. rpHB special race train pulled into Penrose station shortly before nine o’clock, and was standing on the siding when the engine driver perceived that a goods train, which had some shunting to perform at Penrose yards, was backing on to the same siding. He immediately reversed In an endeavour to avoid a collision, but the other train was travelling too fast, and before he could speed up, it crashed into the race special, damaging the engine and derailing three horse boxes, as well as one of the empty passenger cars which were to be shunted from the goods. One horse box accommodating Sir Archie, winner of the Franklin Cup, Sir Henry, and Spalmore, turned over on its side just as the two attendants, Messrs. J. Stenning and J. D. Kemp, jumped from the travellers’ compartment to safety. The horses became alarmed at the noise of the collision, and the three gallopers in the overturned box struggled frantically for nearly three hours before the wagon was righted and they were released. The padded walls of the box saved them from serious injury, although their efforts to escape had Incurred for them numerous bruises and abrasions. Attempts to rescue the animals on the spot were futile, and it was not until a breakdown gang had righted the passenger car and two of the horse boxes, thus allowing the trains to be shunted off the main line, that attention could be paid to the release of the horses. A. dislocation of suburban traffic was occasioned by the mishap, the train leaving Frankton at 8.34 for Auckland being delayed for about an hour. It was close to 10 o’clock when the main line was cleared. A number of passengers on the train which leaves Auckland for Papakura at 8.20 suffered some inconvenience. The train was cancelled at Penrose and the passengers were transferred to the train leaving Auckland at 9.47. This left Penrose shortly after 11 o’clock, about, an hour behind time. The train leaving Auckland for Papatoetoe at 11.15 was delayed for only 20 minutes. The railway track was undamaged.